Goa: Another tiger carcass found in Mahadayi forest

In the second such incident in the three days since January 5, the carcass of a tiger was found in the Mahadayi Wildlife Sanctuary in Goa on Tuesday, a senior Forest official said on Wednesday. Four persons from Golavali village in Sattari taluka were taken into custody on Tuesday, two days after a tiger carcass was found there.

The Forest department prima facie suspects that the big cats were poisoned to death in a "revenge killing" for preying on cattle of villagers. A combing operation has been launched in the Mahadayi forests to find out if there are more carcasses of tigers, the official said.

"Both the carcasses are of tigers whose age is below one year. Both the tiger cubs were caught roaming in the sanctuary along with their mother in a camera trap on December 23," said Santosh Kumar, Chief Wildlife Warden, Goa. Meanwhile, a Goa-based environmentalist blamed the Forest department for "failing" to protect the big cats in the area.

Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane has demanded investigation by a Central team into the deaths of the two tigers. Rane, in whose assembly constituency the deaths of the two big cats were reported, has asked Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Prakash Javadekar to send a central team for investigation.

"With reference to the two cubs that have been found dead at Mahadayi wildlife Sanctuary, Sattari, I would requestion Union Minister for Forest Shri @PrakashJavdekar to intervene and send a central team to conduct a detailed investigation into the matter," Rane tweeted..