War Cat-astrophe: Satellite signal glitches spark tiger tracking review

BHOPAL: Two separate cases of delayed tiger collar response in Madhya Pradesh have raised an unusual question among officials and experts: can war conditions thousands of kilometres away impact the tracking of big cats in India?

The question arose from mishaps in Satpura Tiger Reserve, where a radio-collared tiger-killed by illegal opium growers in Chhindwara-failed to release on remote command despite ongoing field monitoring. At Madhav National Park in Shivpuri, another collar dropped four days late.

A confidential March 28 memo from Satpura's field director to state forest authorities, obtained by The Times of India, blames possible satellite glitches tied to the Gulf war. Collars rely on global networks, including Israeli satellites, prompting concerns over electronic warfare tactics like GPS jamming or spoofing that target missiles, jets and warships.

The Satpura tiger, translocated from Bandhavgarh in December 2024 and released in January 2025, roamed peacefully across Churna, Bori, Pachmarhi, Denwa and Sangakheda ranges for over a year. Collar removal was approved in December 2025 but stalled by leopard conflicts in Betul and gaur relocations; a March 19 drop command yielded no signal until March 25, forcing a search that found its poisoned carcass-collar burned-on March 27.

Madhya Pradesh has deployed remote-drop GPS-satellite collars since 2015 to avoid recapturing animals. Field reports note more glitches since Middle East hostilities spiked, though no firm link exists. "Collars should drop instantly; this is new," one officer said.

New Chief Wildlife Warden Samita Rajora pledged review: "Our unit is developing protocols; I'll investigate." Activist Ajay Dubey seeks a full audit of collars and partners like WWF. Telemetry experts cite terrain, forests, batteries or wear over far-off wars as likelier culprits.

The forest department is now drafting faster-response safeguards for collars on animals straying outside reserves.

What STR field director's communication says: A March 28 memo from Satpura Tiger Reserve chronicles the doomed journey of a radio-collared tiger, from translocation to a poacher's pit.

Translocated from Bandhavgarh on December 24, 2024, with a WWF-fitted collar, the tiger endured early signal woes and a week in Churna enclosure before roaming free on January 1, 2025. It claimed territory across Churna, Bori, West Pachmarhi, Denwa buffer, and Chhindwara's Sangakheda range-conflict-free for a year.

Collar removal, greenlit December 2025, stalled amid leopard clashes in Betul, gaur shuttles with elephants, and new tiger watches in Churna. WWF confirmed satellite-drop feasibility in February 2026; a March 9 request led to a March 19 command.

Silence followed-no drop, ping or mortality alert by March 25. Gulf war signal jams were blamed. Ground teams traced its last fix, unearthing the poisoned carcass-baited cattle carcass, collar torched-in a Sangakheda pit on March 27. Opium growers confessed.

Dedicated tracking gear had long shifted to fresh releases, leaving this tiger on routine watch like any resident.