Goa's Elusive Tigers Spotted Roaming Protected Areas

Goa's protected forests have been witnessing a steady presence of tigers, despite ongoing debates about whether these big cats are permanent residents or part of a moving population between the Western Ghats shared with neighboring states.

The 2022 central tiger census confirmed the presence of five tigers in the state's forests. Recent sightings have further bolstered this evidence, with wildlife enthusiast Chandrakant Shinde spotting a tigress and her cub in the forested areas of Parwad bordering Satre in the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary. This sighting, along with previous camera trap footage, suggests that the sanctuary is providing a suitable habitat for tigers to thrive, with the presence of cubs indicating successful breeding.

However, conservation experts have criticized the Goa forest department for not utilizing advanced tracking methods, such as radio collars, which are commonly used in other tiger habitats across India. They argue that these technologies would allow officials to better monitor the tigers' movements and alert nearby villagers, especially in cases where the big cats are known to prey on domestic livestock.

The article also highlights the long-standing cultural significance of tigers in Goa's folk traditions, with tiger worship being a part of the state's heritage even before the first official acknowledgment of the species' presence in the 1989 forest department census.