CM should protect Goa's tigers: Pandey

KERI: Chief minister ManoharParrikar is environment-conscious and I am hopeful that he will take steps towards protecting the Goan tigers and their habitat as it will simultaneously protect not only tigers but also the state's forest, biodiversity, ecology and water resources, said Mike Pandey, the famous wildlife filmmaker. documentaries with efforts to protect "everything from whale sharks to elephants, vultures to medicinal plants."
In 1994, Pandey became the first Asian film-maker to win the prestigious Wildscreen Panda Award.
While speaking to TOI from Ranthambor, he said, "I am happy to know that Goa's forests department has proved the existence of tiger in Goa's forest through the camera trap. I personally sighted a tigress with cubs in Goa's forest in October 2012. The Western Ghats in Goa serve as habitat for tigers when they multiply and are looking for new areas to settle in. I have been working in the Tillari and Dandeli region and the Western Ghats of southern Goa. I have been following the pug marks of a tiger in the region for the last ten years and can say that the predator is indigenous to South Goa and has not migrated to the region."
Pandey asserted, "There is need of joint efforts from the governments of Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka governments to protect the apex predator of the food chain. The Western Ghats are the most vulnerable area. Tillari valley, the ChorlaGhat and the Mhadei region are the richest biodiversity areas and need to be protected. As the presence of tigers in Goa has now been established, there is proof that tiger is there in Goa. It is the responsibility of the central as well as Goa government to take steps on priority basis to protect the Goan tiger and its habitat."