VITHALDAS HEGDE
vhegde3@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: A recent sighting of a tigress with two cubs in Chorla Ghat has made environmentalists raise their demand to notify Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary as Tiger Reserve by several notches.
Mhadei Bachao Abhiyan Convenor Rajendra Kerker said it was proven “that the tigress sighted in Goa was different and not recorded in any database across the country”. He had found tiger droppings in the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary just eight day back.
According to Kerker, truck drivers have seen tigers crossing from Goa to Karnataka and Maharashtra. The latest camera trap has sighted a tigress with three cubs, which means they breed in the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary.
Kerkar said. “When we visited the sanctuary we noticed tiger droppings. In Anjunem dam and Chorla Ghat, truck drivers have seen tiger during night. Also people have seen tiger crossing from Pansulem area to Karnataka and also even moving to Maharashtra. There is proof of presence of tiger like we seek tigers in the Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary and Kali Tiger Reserve and now in the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary.”
Earlier, the State government is saying that there is no present of tiger in Goa and that they come from Karnataka and Maharashtra again and again.
But both the neighbouring States found in their research that tigers were indeed present in Goa.
“Tigers are born in Mahdei Wildlife Sanctuary. Due to food they go to Tillari or to Kai Tiger Reserve or even go to Sahyadri Tiger Reserve near Koyna dam and it has been caught in camera trap,” according to Kerkar.
Kerkar empathically said, “The presence of tigers has been repeatedly proved in the State. I had also found pug marks, but for the last two years the State government is not serious.”
According to Kerkar, there is a presence of wild cats in Tillari and Kali River and what is required is collection of data and to co-relate it. In 2013, a team formed by the then round forest officer (RFO) Paresh Porob had trapped a tigress relishing on wild boar meat. In the same year conservation zoologist and renowned wildlifer K Ulhas Karanth and his team visited Goa and they too found the presence of tigers in the State.
Kerkar stated that it was the duty of the State government to continue with the project, but did not renew it. After camera traps captured the presence of tigers in the State, no fresh attempts was made to carry out a proper study and research. There was no coordinated effort between the Forest Department of Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
Environmentalist Ramesh Gauns said, “I have heard of the presence of tigers since I was in high school. I even remember an incident of a person killing a tiger in Sarvan-Karapur village. But the State government is not declaring a Tiger Reserve because it has other interests like carrying out mining and other projects in the sanctuary. The government should go ahead and notify the Tiger Reserve because it will be the golden gate of nature.”
Federation of Rainbow Warriors general secretary Abhijit Prabhudessai said, “This government does not want to accept any of the good things about Goa, be it forest, wildlife, natural wells and is intent on destroying it. It is not that the State government does not know about the presence of tigers, but it wants to destroy tiger habitat for short term profits.”
Failure to declare Tiger Reserve is complete stupidity of the government and risking the survival of future generations. To make fast money, the government is knowingly destroying Goa. It is only the people of Goa who can protect the State, he said.