Tigers seen in the Goa forests of Mhadei

The recent spotting of five tigers -- one male, two females and two cubs-in the State’s richest wild, the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS), is not something very new. The protected area is habitat for wildcat is a well established fact for more than one and half decade now. But unfortunately, the successive State governments are still looking for more and more authentic evidences to declare this core area as ‘Tiger Reserve’ and the reason for such delay is best known to them only.   The Mhadei WLS, that spans just 208 sq kms in the Western Ghats --- declared as the protected area in 1999 -- is contiguous to the Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary and Anshi Dandeli Tiger Reserve in the State of Karnataka. The contiguous forests of Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra and the reserve forests and wildlife sanctuary of Radhanagari in Karnataka, Chandoli national park and the reserve forests of Purna and Dodamarg in Maharashtra have been named as Tiger Conservation Units (TCU) (minimum habitat area o should support 50 tigers or have documented evidence of 50 tigers).  See link below to read the report in the Goa Herald.