PANJIM: Thanks to camera traps, the State Forest Department has obtained evidence that tigers roam many parts of Goa, including protected wildlife areas and tracks interspersed with human settlements that shelter animals that the big cats customarily prey upon. The camera trap wildlife survey conducted in May has spotted tigers at six different locations, covering the forested areas of Mollem, Mhadei and Surla.
From January to May this year, tiger presence was recorded by camera traps 25 times in the areas of Surla, Caranzol, Collem, Mollem and Bhoma. Apart from camera traps, tiger presence was established by their scat and scrapping. The forest department is awaiting All India Tiger Estimation data, which is expected to be released soon by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
“The protected areas of Goa and their contiguous forests in Karnataka and Maharashtra are some of the best tiger habitats in the Western Ghats, but are in need of protection. Karnataka and Maharashtra have already declared tiger reserves and it’s now time for Goa. We have enough evidence. We are hopeful that the tiger estimation will give it some boost,” a forest official said.
The contiguous forests of Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra and the reserve forests and wildlife sanctuary of Radhanagari in Karnataka, Chandoli National Park and the reserve forests of Purna and Dodamarg in Maharashtra have been named Tiger Conservation Units (TCU).
“Just like how wildlife sanctuaries are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, the same is applicable to tiger reserves. The only difference is that we will be able to get funds under Project Tiger,” the official said.
Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, was one of the protected areas recently surveyed by forest officials to assess the quality of the forest for a tiger reserve. The Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park in Mollem and Goa’s southernmost protected area, Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary were also surveyed by the forest staffers.
