Panaji:
A tiger recently found dead in Goa’s Kushavati district is suspected to have been killed by wild dogs, state Forest Minister Vishwajit Rane has said, while ruling out poaching.
The decomposed carcass of an adult tiger with its nails and teeth missing was found at Sacordem village, a little distance away from Bhagwan Mahavir Sanctuary, Mollem, on the Goa-Karnataka border, on May 2, following which a probe was ordered into the feline’s death.
Rane told reporters on Sunday that the preliminary findings by the forest department indicate the tiger may have been killed by a pack of wild dogs.
“Goa’s Principal Chief Conservator of Forest is investigating the incident. We will be able to give details only after the investigation is completed,” he said.
The big cat may have wandered into the forests of Goa from the neighbouring Kali Tiger Reserve in Karnataka, the minister said.
He noted that tigers often enter Goa’s forest areas from Karnataka.
Asked whether Goa has resident tigers, Rane said it is for the National Tiger Conservation Authority to answer the same.
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