Tiger Sighting in the Wilds of Goa

by SHWETA KAMAT
Posted on 2009-03-24
That the national animal of our country, the regal tiger, is an endangered species is a fact that is common knowledge. So, recent killings of a buffalo by tiger and subsequent findings of pugmarks at Chorla Ghats, only brings hope for this royal animal of the jungles.
Is Goa a permanent habitat of tiger? Or, are tigers sighted in the state migratory? These were some of the questions raised by the environmentalists, when the sighting of tigers was confirmed at the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary recently.
Says Mr Devendra Dalai, deputy conservator of forest, “Goa is definitely a tiger habitat, and the Mhadei wild life sanctuary is a part of the habitat. The recent killing of a buffalo by the tiger has just confirmed it.” Mr Dalai continues, “This can be made out from one of the facts that the number of Gaurs remains the same in our forests. Their natural predator is tiger which means there are Gaurs being hunted by the tiger.”
Adds, Mr Nirmal Kulkarni, environmentalist, “The presence of a large male tiger in the area since last many months authenticates the repeated claims of researchers that the Mhadei region harbour resident tigers and not transit tigers like previously thought to be as the present individuals seen in the area have been active throughout the year.”
Tiger sightings have been on the rise for a long time now and these have been reported to various agencies including the Goa and Karnataka Forest Departments as well as environmentalists like Mr. Rajendra Kerkar, Secretary of the Mhadei Bacaho Abhiyan, who has been relentlessly campaigning for better protection for this mega biodiversity region of the Mhadei valley.
States Mr Kerkar, “Since 1999, when Mhadei was declared as wildlife sanctuary, we were demanding to the government to earmark Mhadei as a tiger habitat but the forest department had not shown any concern.”
As for the actual sightings, Goa, which shares the Sahyadri rang of hills with other states like Maharashtra and Karnataka had reported five tigers in the 2002 wild life census.
Points out Mr Dalai, “The state’s wild life sanctuaries, which are contagious to Hanshi and Dandeli forests, have a rich wild life presence. Tigers don’t know the political borders. They mark their own territory and remain within them.”
As such the environmentalists hope that the presence of the tiger proves that the forests adjoining Goa are really healthy. But they even feel that a proper study by an authenticated institute should be done through Union Ministry of Environment and Forest or the central Tiger Conservation Authority to vet the presence of tigers in Goa’s wilds.