The uproar is over the killing of tigers in Goa. There is shock and awe as four tigers, including two cubs, were reported to be poisoned to death in remote Golavali-Sattari forest area. It comes as a major blow to the region which once boasted of a count of seven tigers. Have the locals of Golavali let Goa down, or has the forest department failed?
The tiger deaths throw open a crucial wildlife versus humans debate. The Golavali village, which is the epicentre of the tiger deaths, is located in the lower region of the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and is home to around 70 families. Movement of tigers is not to the area. The forest department has been tracking tiger movement since the past five years, and the four tigers in Golavali were spotted early December.
Villagers have argued that complaints of tigers feasting on their cattle fell on deaf ears with both forest department officials and the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary management failing to take cognizance. This brings us to the question: Why did officials not act when they tracked the movement of the tigers? We are talking of tiger conservation and protection, but why were these tigers not provided a safe habitat? It appears that the State government and forest department, in particular, are only paying lip service to tiger conservation. There is no plan in place to protect the tiger, and nothing is done to provide these roving cats a safe habitat despite being aware of their presence.
People involved will have to face the law, but officials should also be held responsible for failing in their duties. Even if consuming local cattle by tigers could not be addressed, the forest department should have moved swiftly to engage locals and offset the tension. In this case, by ignoring the issue altogether, the forest department has pushed the onus on the villagers to handle it. The people are not interested in making a buck by trading in tiger skins, claws and teeth which have a vast black-market waiting. All the villagers wanted was, to protect their cattle which largely contributes to their livelihood.
The human-wildlife conflict will continue to erupt when growing human population overlaps established wildlife territory. There are over 27 villages inside the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary range. If there is some seriousness in our ‘save the tiger’ mission, then the government should have settled land issues and relocated people residing within the sanctuary. The wildlife sanctuary was notified in 1999, but land issues have not been resolved even now.
Last, but not the least, there is a lack of awareness on the government’s tiger campaign. People in these forest ranges know that there are hefty penalties and imprisonment for killing protected species, but they know very little about Project Tiger. So stop shedding crocodile tears and showing that concern because the State has done very little to protect the tiger.
