Goa to determine tiger presence in the state

Panaji: Goa will soon initiate a study to ascertain the presence of tiger in the state, forest minister Alina Saldanha said today.

The state forest department will take on board experts to conduct the study by this month-end regarding the presence of tiger in Goa wildlife sanctuaries, Saldanha told reporters here. The minister said she is in favour of declaring Goa`s Mhadei wildlife Sanctuary as a tiger reserve, but "it should be done only when the presence of tiger is confirmed in the wild." "It is exciting that tiger was cited in Goa in the form of evidences like pug marks, but we need more such evidences. We should be hundred per cent sure," she said. Incidentally, Saldanha`s statement comes three days after Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had expressed reluctance to bid for declaring the Mhadei sanctuary as a tiger reserve. The Chief Minister is also of the same opinion. He has not ruled out the sanctuary from being declared as tiger reserve. He has said that there should be proper studies conducted, she said. The state forest department, during initial survey, had found evidences of presence of a tigress and cubs near Anjunem reservoir at the foot of Western Ghats in the north eastern part of Goa. PTI