Goa and Karnataka: The population of tigers is increasing in the Bhimgad wildlife sanctuary and Mhadei wildlife sanctuary situated adjacent to each other on the Goa and Karnataka boundary. Sighting of the tigers in the camera trap set up by the Goa government in Sural recently is evidence for it. The trap camera’s of the forest dept. have captured two tigers on July 23 and 30.
According to the forest officials, there is decent tiger population in Bhimgad wildlife sanctuary in Khanapur tehsil of Belagavi district. It is said that about 15 tigers are there in Bhimgad and surronding reserve forest areas.
The territory of one tiger ranges in radius of 10 to 15 kilo meters. After sighting some tigers in the Bhimgad reserve forests, the Forest department of Karnataka has strictly prohibited the movement of public in the forest as matter of safety for humans and also for the free movement and safer place for the tigers. However, there is no such measures taken from the forest personnel of Goa side. The wildlife activists time to time have raised voice that the forest department of Goa should also declare the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary as reserve forest and some villages should be rehabilitated from there. Villagers have very often sighted tigers in the past. On January 9, 2020m four tigers were poisoned by the villagers of Sattari in Goa and killed.
‘All About Belgaum’ blog has reported that many people from Belagavi and nearby areas regularly goes to Sural and Chorla ares for the picnics. It is in interest of the wild animals and humans not to enter reserve forests to avoid Human-Animal conflict.
