Tiger carcass found in Goa forest, probe begins

Forest department officials have begun a probe under the Wildlife Protection Act into the recovery of a tiger carcass from inside Mahadayi Wildlife Sanctuary in Sattari taluka in North Goa, officials said on Monday.

The carcass, which was four to five days old and was hidden under the sand, was found near Thane-Dongurli village panchayat on Sunday after which villagers alerted forest staff, said officials.

A case has been registered against unknown persons under the Wildlife Protection Act, officials said.

However, the forest department probe has spread fear among the villagers as a similar incident in 2009 led to the arrest of several people from Keri, also in Sattari taluka, on the charge of killing a tiger and hiding evidence.

"A charge sheet was filed in that case and trial is underway. The villagers at the time had falsely accused forest officials of harassing them," environmentalist Rajendra Kekar, credited with exposing the 2009 Keri incident, told PTI on Monday.

"The spot where the tiger carcass was found on Sunday is under close surveillance because the presence of a big cat and her cubs was revealed during a tiger census. The tiger whose body was found on Sunday was two to four years old," he added.

Officials meanwhile said probe was underway and post mortem report was awaited.