Panaji: The investigations into Goa's tiger
poaching case got a boost with forensic report confirming that
the remains collected from a plantation were of a striped cat.
Chief Conservator of Forest Dr Shashi Kumar told
reporters that Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India
(WII) has confirmed that the sample matches to that of a
tiger.
"One of the seven samples has matched. Seven samples were
found of which the sixth one matched to that of a tiger. Even
if one matches it proves that the animal is a tiger," he said.
The state forest department, which received the report
two weeks back, had maintained uncanny silence over it until a
local English newspaper leaked the report last week.
The final report which was received by deputy conservator
of forest (North division) G T Kumar has overruled the
preliminary report, which had raised doubts on whether the
animal remains found in a cashew plantation of Keri village
were really of tiger.
Environmentalists in the state had protested the WII's
first report which had said that the samples did not match to
that of a tiger.
PTI
First Published: Monday, February 08, 2010, 18:04