Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday sought to blame the migratory instinct of tigers for the decline in their numbers in the coastal state, a day after an official report revealed the number of big cats has fallen from five in 2014 to three in 2018.
According to the Wildlife Institute of India report, 981 tigers were recorded in the Western Ghats region in 2018. Of these, Goa recorded the lowest.
"The number of tigers has been reduced because they travel from one state to another. But at the same time, the number of leopards has increased in Goa," the chief minister told the Legislative Assembly.
The Goa government is creating artificial ponds in the wild and forest areas with an objective to prevent wild animals from straying into human habitation, he said.
Sawant said his government will also promote tourism in wildlife sanctuaries in the state.