India, March 10 -- As many as 38 elephants and nine tigers died due to electrocution, poaching and infighting, in Chhattisgarh over the last 26 months, state forest minister Kedar Kashyap informed the legislative assembly on Tuesday.

In addition, 562 other wild animals , including leopards, bears, blue bulls and cheetal, died during the same period due to different causes, Kashyap said in a written reply to a question by Congress MLA Sheshraj Harbansh.

Harbansh had sought details of tiger and elephant deaths in the state between December 2023 and January 2026, including their locations, time and causes. He also asked for species-wise and forest division-wise details of unnatural deaths of other wildlife during the period.

In his reply,...