Central team to probe Goa tiger deaths

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has constituted a two-member team to probe the deaths of the four tigers in Goa's Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary.

Hours after the Goa forest officials confirmed that the four tigers died due to poisoning and arrested three farmers, the probe was announced not only to investigate the deaths but also to inquire any possible lacunae on the part of the Forest Department officials and other agencies responsible for tiger safety in the coastal state.

The team led by Rajendra Garawad of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Mumbai-based Deputy Director of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau will arrive in Goa soon.

According to a memo issued by Deputy Inspector General (NTCA) Nishant Verma, the team has been tasked with "inquiry into the cause of tiger death", "response taken by concerned state forest authorities", compliance of standard operating procedures with regards to tiger death and "submission of report within seven day".

Late on Wednesday, after the carcass of a fourth tiger was found near Golvali village in Sattari sub district in North Goa, Forest Department arrested three persons from a Scheduled Tribe namely Vitho Pawne (60), Nalo Pawne (55) and Bomo Pawne (45), all farmers from the area.

According to a complaint filed by the Forest department officials, the trio has been accused of poisoning the carcass of a buffalo, which had been previously ambushed by one of the tigers last month.

When the group of tigers returned to the site of their kill to feed last month, they consumed the poison and died subsequently. While the first carcass, of a young adult male was discovered on January 5, three other carcasses, which included one adult female and two cubs were discovered through Wednesday.

All the carcasses were in various stages of decomposition, even as the officials suspect that the tigers may have eventually died between seven to ten days ago, after surviving the poisoned meat for several days.

Sources said that the trio had allegedly poisoned the tiger-kill in December, because requests made by them to the local authorities to rein in the tigers, who had been feeding off their livestock, had fallen on deaf ears. Forest officials have now confirmed at least two tiger-kills in the Golvali village in December, which included a cow and a buffalo.

The Opposition has accused Chief Minister Pramod Sawant of paying lip-service to the environment, citing the death of four apex predators as an example. But the Chief Minister maintains that strict action would be taken against the perpetrators.

"The tragic incidents of tiger deaths are shocking and saddening. We will investigate and take stern action against the perpetrators," Sawant tweeted late on Wednesday.

The Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, where the tiger carcasses were found is located in the lower reaches of the Western Ghat mountains. A proposal to upgrade the sanctuary to a full fledged Tiger Reserve has been put in cold storage by the state government, following opposition from the local residents as well as political groups. The sanctuary is also ringed by several lucrative mining leases.

( With inputs from IANS )