Tiger skates spotted in 3 sanctuaries
SWETA KAMAT
PANJIM, APRIL 29
Bolstering wildlife enthusiasts’ demands to declare Mhadei wildlife sanctuary as a tiger habitat, the volunteers have stumbled upon tiger skates at various places in this sanctuary, which had earlier indicated presence of Royal Bengal tiger.
The tiger skate along with the skate of panther has been collected and kept at a camp site in Nagargao village of Valpoi.
The current census has also found signs of tiger moments in other two wildlife sanctuaries — Mollem and Cotigao.
“The signs indicating presences of tigers were found in all three wildlife sanctuaries and we are still waiting for more findings,” a volunteer told Herald.
The volunteer said that the findings will help in declaring not only Mhadai but entire state as tiger habitat.
The officials from Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun which visited Goa to train volunteers and departmental staff on census, had also found pugmarks similar to that of tiger during their trial in the run up for census at Mollem wildlife sanctuary.
However, the Chief Conservator of Forest Dr Shashi Kumar was quick enough to deny any such finding. “They did not find any pugmarks or other signs of tiger,” Dr Kumar had stated ealier.There was mounting pressure from environmentalists to declare Mhadei wildlife sanctuary as tiger habitat after animal killed by tiger were reported from here. But the proposal was not entertained by the forest department saying that these tigers are from Karnataka, and travel here for short period of time.
Meanwhile, the trend of herbiverious animal has begun in the state.
The forest department official said that after the census the data will be presented before WII for analysis.
The ongoing census has also found the skates and pugmarks of leopards at Mollem, Netravali and Cotigao wildlife sanctuary.
