Goa CM Pramod Sawant orders probe after tiger found dead of poisoning
A preliminary inquiry into the death of the tiger in the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary revealed that the big cat was poisoned.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant ordered a probe on Monday after a preliminary inquiry into the death of a tiger in the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary revealed that the big cat was poisoned.
The tiger’s carcass was found on Sunday.
“Chief Minister Pramod Sawant is deeply pained and concerned by the death of a tiger in Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary. The preliminary investigation has revealed poisoning as the cause of death. Therefore, the chief minister has ordered a thorough inquiry in the matter,” a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office said.
Sawant also holds the forests portfolio.
The carcass of the four year old tiger was noticed in Golavali village, deep inside the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary located at the lower reaches of the Western Ghats along Goa’s border with Karnataka.
With decomposition having already set in, forest officials believed that the tiger had died a week earlier.
On Monday a post mortem of the tiger was conducted to help ascertain the cause of death and an investigation team of forest department officials led by a deputy conservator of forests constituted.
The tiger is one of five tigers believed to be resident in the thick forests of the Western Ghats.
Back in 2009, a tiger was killed after it was ensnared in a trap set by villagers to catch wild boar and later shot dead to put it out of its misery leading to the arrest of five villagers.
The tigers are believed to move between Goa and Karnataka territory in search of food and mates across a large territory.
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