Trekkers alert officials to another tiger kill in Sattari

Keri: A

buffalo

grazing in the forests of Nanoda in

Sattari

was recently attacked and killed by a

tiger

. Forest officials confirmed the incident after trekkers alerted them.

Various indicators inside the

Mhadei

Wildlife Sanctuary and the forested areas of Keri and Valpoi pointed to the presence of two tigers and one tigress. A villager going to his relatives’ house recently from Codal to Satre spotted a tiger crossing the road, towards the Nanoda river. This tiger has been sighted repeatedly by villagers of Satre, Derode and others in the vicinity.

Range forest officer (RFO) of Mhadei wildlife sanctuary, Vilas Gawas, told TOI, “When we got information about a buffalo being killed, we visited the spot in Nanoda. The evidence we have indicated that the buffalo was killed by a tiger. However, nobody so far has claimed for compensation for the dead buffalo. Seems like the tiger went into the forests of Bhimgad wildlife sanctuary in Karnataka.”

Villagers from Surla have noticed the presence of another male tiger in the area. A fortnight ago, a tiger killed a buffalo in the hilly areas of Charavane, on the way to Ponsuli in Sattari.

Employees of the eco-resort situated along the Goa-Maharashtra border told TOI that they repeatedly hear the roar of the tiger in the forested areas.

Vivek Gaonkar, RFO of Keri said, “Recently, we found pugmarks of a tiger near the Anjunem reservoir. Though, we have installed cameras, so far, no images have been trapped. Our guards have been patrolling these areas.”

The Bhimgad sanctuary which shares boundaries with the Mhadei sanctuary has noted presence of 16 tigers, as per the information provided by T Amrut, RFO of the Bhimgad sanctuary.

Subodh Naik of Vivekanand environment awareness brigade, who works in these areas, says, “There is need for coordinated efforts from the forests officials of Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka for the protection of the big cats. All these areas are habitats for tigers as well as corridors. The Union ministry of environment, forests and climate change should take necessary steps by taking forest departments of Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka into confidence.”