Goa Legislative Assembly today congratulated the state Forest Department for spotting a tiger in Mhadei wildlife sanctuary that established the presence of a big cat in the coastal state.
BJP Legislator Vishnu Surya Wagh moved the motion congratulating the forest department officials, particularly Mhadei Range Officer Paresh Porob, for spotting the tiger through camera trapping method.
Chief minister Manohar Parrikar and state environment and forest minister Alina Saldanha, were also congratulated for supporting the mission to establish the presence of tigers.
"Parrikar had given a green signal to the campaign," Wagh said, adding that spotting of a tiger will help Goa for its demand to include its part of western ghat into the list of UNESCO heritage sites.
Saldanha stated that documentation of tiger presence would boost the prospect of declaring Mhadei wildlife sanctuary as a tiger reserve.
Independent legislator Vijay Sardesai said the House should unanimously demand that open cast ore mines should be banned in the wildlife sanctuaries.
According to sources in the forest department, it was for the first time that a tiger has been spotted in Goa's jungle although the earlier census report had confirmed its presence based on the indicators like pug marks.
