This story is from May 18, 2019

Goa’s new visitor: Big cat at Molem national park

A fully grown adult tiger has been spotted for the first time at the Bhagwan Mahavir wildlife sanctuary at Molem, Goa.
Goa’s new visitor: Big cat at Molem national park
The tiger might have come from Karnataka and strayed into Goa
Key Highlights
  • The tiger may have come from Karnataka and strayed into Goa. Thanks to the camera traps, our efforts to record the presence of tigers is moving in the right direction: Official
  • This sighting isn’t the first for Goa. The 1997 and 2002 censuses revealed the presence of five tigers in the state
PANAJI: A tiger has finally been spotted at the Bhagwan Mahavir national park and wildlife sanctuary in Molem. The Goa forest department on Saturday confirmed the sighting after images of the big cat were recorded in its camera traps on Tuesday. Experts believe the tiger may have strayed from Karnataka.
“We have been monitoring the area for quite a while,” said principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) Subhash Chandra.
“The tiger may have come from Karnataka and strayed into Goa. Thanks to the camera traps, our efforts to record the presence of tigers is moving in the right direction."
The department said the 240-sq km area of the park is being explored by dedicated staffers in an effort to record the presence of the elusive cat.
Field staff were sensitised and trained to carry out observations and record indirect evidence of wildlife during routine field visits. Camera traps were set up at strategic locations.
“The highly protected sanctuary has proved to be an ideal habitat for the tiger,” range forest officer Paresh Porob told TOI. “Our field staff is now closely monitoring the big cat.”

This sighting isn’t the first for Goa. The 1997 and 2002 censuses revealed the presence of five tigers in the state. In 2013, Porob, who was then range forest officer of the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary, collected the first photograhic evidence of tigers in the Dongurli forests.
“The department has procured camera traps to strengthen field staff in order to record the rich natural heritage of Goa’s forests,” the department said. “Intensive camera trapping is also being carried out in other parts of the park and the sanctuary area.”
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