TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: There are as many as eleven tigers roaming wild in the contiguous area of the Western Ghats that run along the Goa-Maharashtra and Goa-Karnataka border, environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar said today. He, however, clarified that these were his estimates.
Addressing a small group of persons at the Casa da Moeda festival ~ on the issue of the presence of the tiger in Goa ~ Kerkar said that it was only after persistent efforts and pressure did the government finally concede that there was tiger presence in Goa.
“The government finally through the MoEF gave the task to Ullas Karanth, a conservation zoologist and leading tiger expert based in Karnataka. It was due to his efforts and that of the Forest Department that managed to capture images of two tigers,” Kerkar said.
He hit out at the efforts to keep the presence of tiger in the State under the wraps, which he said was being financed by the mining lobby, because that would be detrimental to their interests.
“It is a well known fact that if the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary is declared as a tiger habitat, mines within 10kms of the sanctuary will have to
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close,” Kerkar said.
He cited international studies, which rated the Western Ghats as only second to the Sunderbans when it comes to habitat for the tiger.
He said, he hoped that the future endeavours of laying camera traps would capture the images of other tigers as well.
Referring to attempts by the politicians and others to deny the presence of tigers, he cited the example of the statements by former principal chief conservator of forests Dr Shashi Kumar that the tiger trapped in Goa was only a visitor and not a resident.
On the issue of snares that trap several wild animals including deer, leopards and the tiger in one instance, Kerkar said the drive received only marginal success owing to the inadequate infrastructure and manpower available with the Forest Department.
“The Forest Department is in the process of recruiting 400 forest guards, once this is done, it will be adequate to keep tabs on poachers in the State.
