Recent images of a tiger captured by a camera-trap in Kodal near the Karnataka border, has once again proved that the Tillari forest region in Maharashtra, adjoining the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary in Goa and forested patches of Karnataka, has proved to be a habitat of the tiger.
In the last week of March, 2015, the camera-trap technique used by the Kolhapur forest division, was successful in taking images of a tiger in Kodal, a village that has been rehabilated on account of the Tillari reservoir.
Ranganath Naikade, deputy conservator of forests, Kolhapur Division, speaking to TOI, said, "After finalizing 35 locations with the help of wildlife expert Girish Punjabi, we have installed 80 camera-traps. In the last week of March, we got images of a tiger in Kodal and evidences of presence of herbivorous as well as carnivorous animals. Presence of the tiger outside the protected area has been repeatedly felt in this region."
S Ramesh Kumar, deputy conservator of forests, Sawantwadi Division, said "Last year, we had sightings of the tiger. This year, so far, no confirmed sightings of tigers have been reported."
Bhau Gawas of Dabhil, Sawantwadi taluka, said, "In our forests, we experience the presence of the big cat regularly. The region which has not been given any legal protection by the Maharashtra forest department, is indeed a natural habitat of the tiger."
Last year, the Maharashtra forest department took camera-trap images of three tigers. It has been repeatedly proved that the presence of the tiger is there in the region ranging from Chorla Ghat in Karnataka and Goa to Kendre in Tillari.
The forest cover between Radhanagari in Maharashtra and the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary in Goa, falling in Sawantwadi-Dodamarg-Chandgad areas, are not part of any sanctuary or national park and this has decimated the natural habitat of not only the big cat, but, also of other wildlife in the area.
Wildlife activist Mike Pandey had submitted a proposal for an elephant rescue centre and sanctuary near the Tillari dam in Kolhapur, three years ago. The project, which aims to accommodate 30 elephants, has not materialized so far and the region is threatened by deforestation and other developmental activities.
Few days ago, the Goa forest department was successful in getting images of a new tiger in the areas of Mhadei wildlife sanctuary of Dongurli panchayat. Chorla in Karnataka, adjacent to the borders of Goa-Maharashtra, has also seen the presence of the tiger.
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The hunt for British Big Cats attracts far more newspaper column-inches than any other cryptozoological subject. There are so many of them now that we feel that they should be archived by us in some way, so we should have a go at publishing a regular round-up of the stories as they come in. Curated by Carl Marshall and Olivia McCarthy
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