The Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary is a 208.5-km² (80.5-mi²)

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

in the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

of Goa in the Western Ghats of

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union terr ...

. It is located in the

North Goa District North Goa district is one of the two districts that constitutes the state of Goa, India. The district has an area of , and is bounded by Kolhapur and Sindhudurg districts of Maharashtra state to the north and by Belgavi district of Karnata ...

Sattari Sattari (''Sot'tori'', pronounced ; ) is a sub-district of North Goa district in the state of Goa, India. The headquarters of Sattari taluka is Valpoi (वाळपई) municipal council. It lies in the north-eastern region of Goa where it is k ...

taluka near the town of

Valpoi Valpoi or Valpoy (''Vallpoi'', pronounced ) is a city and a municipal council in North Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. It is the headquarters of the Sattari Taluk. The Western Ghats are to the east of the town. According to the auth ...

. The sanctuary is an area of high

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic ('' genetic variability''), species ('' species diversity''), and ecosystem ('' ecosystem diversity'') ...

, and is being considered to become a

Project Tiger Project Tiger is a tiger conservation programme launched in April 1973 by the Government of India during Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's tenure. The project aims at ensuring a viable population of the Bengal tiger in its natural habitats, prote ...

tiger reserve Project Tiger is a tiger conservation programme launched in April 1973 by the Government of India during Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's tenure. The project aims at ensuring a viable population of the Bengal tiger in its natural habitats, protecti ...

because of the presence of

Bengal tiger The Bengal tiger is a population of the '' Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies. It ranks among the biggest wild cats alive today. It is considered to belong to the world's charismatic megafauna. The tiger is estimated to have been present i ...

Infrastructure

The sanctuary is administered by the Goa State Forest Department. The range forest officer of Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary is Vishwas Chodankar. The RFO office is near the Forest Department office in Valpoi. The sanctuary is protected by 11 forest guards under the supervision of three round foresters. The sanctuary is divided into 16 beats with the three round foresters stationed in

Kodal Kodal is a village and parish in Sandefjord municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. Kodal is mostly a rural area, with a population of 971 as of 2014. It is located ten kilometers north of Sandefjord city center and eleven miles south of the town ...

, Charavane and Caranzol in Sattari taluka. The sanctuary office has a four-wheel-drive vehicle and a motorcycle for patrolling. There are no public tourist facilities in the sanctuary, but there are Forest Department rest houses at Valpoi and Keri. There is an Irrigation Department rest house above the Anjunem Dam. The Anjunem Dam is located on the

Sanquelim Sanquelim or Sankhali is a town and municipal council in North Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. Geography Sanquelim is situated in the Bicholim Taluka of North Goa. It is located at and it has an average elevation of 78 metres (2 ...

Belgaum Belgaum ( ISO: ''Bēḷagāma''; also Belgaon and officially known as Belagavi) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka located in its northern part along the Western Ghats. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Belagavi ...

highway SH-31 in Chorla ghat at about from

town. There are three private ecoresorts in Chorla ghat, the Wildernest Nature Conservation Facility, the Eco Adventure Resort, and the Swapnagandha Resort.

Geography

Goa is the only state in India which has protected the complete Western Ghats' section within a state. Goa's four wildlife sanctuaries are located on the eastern side of the state in the Western Ghats, covering an area of about . The Mahdei Wildlife Sanctuary and Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park all fall within the Mhadei River basin. The Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary is located between 15° 48" 33' to 14° 53" 54' N and 74° 20" 13' to 73° 40" 33' E. Elevations among the hills of the sanctuary range from in the center to in the west. The sanctuary includes the Vagheri Hills, some of the highest peaks in North Goa. Vagheri peak at elevation, the highest in the sanctuary, is near the village of Keri in

. Other peaks in Goa include Sonsogor, the highest in Goa at , Catlanchimauli , Vaguerim and Morlemchogar. A unique discovery of the Vagheri hills is the presence of a flowing lake or waterbody shaped in the exact map of India, midway to climbing the hill while looking down at the valley. The Mhadei River, known downstream as the

Mandovi River The Mahadayi/Mandovi River (''Mandovi'', pronounced ), also known as Mahadayi or Mhadei river, is described as the lifeline of the Indian state of Goa. The Mandovi and the Zuari are the two primary rivers in the state of Goa. Mandovi joins ...

, the lifeline of the state of Goa, originates in Karnataka, travels in Karnataka, passes through the Mahdei Wildlife Sanctuary and meets the

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channe ...

Panaji Panaji (; also known as Panjim) is the capital of the Indian state of Goa and the headquarters of North Goa district. Previously, it was the territorial capital of the former Portuguese India. It lies on the banks of the Mandovi river estuary i ...

after traveling in Goa. See map showin
rivers
in Mhadei Wildlife sanctuary.

Waterfalls

Mhadei Sanctuary is noted for its many waterfalls, especially the twin Vazra Sakla waterfalls and the Virdi Falls in the Chorla Ghats region on the

escarpment An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion and separates two relatively level areas having different elevations. The terms ''scarp'' and ''scarp face'' are often used interchangeably with ''esca ...

of the Goa-Maharashtra-Karnataka border in the Swapnagandha valley forest near Virdi village. The 16 waterfalls at up from Hivre village are from the Valpoi. The Ladkyacho Vozar plunge waterfall, northeast of Surla, Goa's highest village is at Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park, and Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary is located just to the south of Mhadei in Goa.

Fauna

This region is part of the Western Ghats landscape, and is regarded as a Global

Biodiversity Hotspot A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened by human habitation. Norman Myers wrote about the concept in two articles in ''The Environmentalist'' in 1988 and 1990, after which the c ...

. Other

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur ...

s seen in the sanctuary include the

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living Felidae, cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily pr ...

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

black panther A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been ...

(rare),

sloth bear The sloth bear (''Melursus ursinus'') is a myrmecophagous bear species native to the Indian subcontinent. It feeds on fruits, ants and termites. It is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, mainly because of habitat loss and degradation ...

(rare, occasional sightings near caves and grasslands),

gaur The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 m ...

(commonly sighted near the grasslands, in forest clearings, and near water),

barking deer Barking may refer to: Places * Barking, London, a town in East London, England ** London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, a local government district covering the town of Barking ** Municipal Borough of Barking, a historical local government dist ...

(commonly sighted near forest clearings and waterholes),

sambar deer The sambar (''Rusa unicolor'') is a large deer native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List since 2008. Populations have declined substantially due to severe hunting, local ins ...

(occasionally sighted on grasslands and main roads),

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus '' Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia, ...

(extremely rare),

ruddy mongoose The ruddy mongoose (''Urva smithii'') is a mongoose species native to hill forests in India and Sri Lanka. Description The ruddy mongoose's fur is brownish and coarse, long in hindquarters, but short in other parts of the body. Its head to body ...

(frequently sighted at daybreak and dusk on forest paths),

Asian palm civet The Asian palm civet (''Paradoxurus hermaphroditus''), also called common palm civet, toddy cat and musang, is a viverrid native to South and Southeast Asia. Since 2008, it is IUCN Red Listed as Least Concern as it accommodates to a broad rang ...

(commonly sighted on main roads and near village settlements),

small Indian civet The small Indian civet (''Viverricula indica'') is a civet native to South and Southeast Asia. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List because of its widespread distribution, widespread habitat use and healthy populations living in agr ...

(commonly sighted on main roads,

dhole The dhole (''Cuon alpinus''; ) is a canid native to Central, South, East and Southeast Asia. Other English names for the species include Asian wild dog, Asiatic wild dog, Indian wild dog, whistling dog, red dog, red wolf, and mountain wolf. It ...

(rarely sighted transient mammal in the forests),

jungle cat The jungle cat (''Felis chaus''), also called reed cat, swamp cat and jungle lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to the Middle East, the Caucasus, South and Southeast Asia and southern China. It inhabits foremost wetlands like swamps, littoral ...

(extremely rare, sighted by researchers and locals on a few occasions), mouse deer (rare, occasional sightings on trails),

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species i ...

(frequently sighted at dawn and dusk),

Indian hare The Indian hare (''Lepus nigricollis''), also known as the black-naped hare, is a common species of hare native to the Indian subcontinent, and Java. Introductions It has been introduced to Madagascar, Comoro Islands, Andaman Islands, Irian Jay ...

(commonly sighted on the plateaux),

giant squirrel Oriental giant squirrels are cat-sized tree squirrels from the genus ''Ratufa'' in the subfamily Ratufinae. They are a distinctive element of the fauna of south and southeast Asia. Species There are four living species of oriental giant squirre ...

(documented in the forests),

flying squirrel Flying squirrels (scientifically known as Pteromyini or Petauristini) are a tribe of 50 species of squirrels in the family Sciuridae. Despite their name, they are not in fact capable of full flight in the same way as birds or bats, but they a ...

(a nocturnal mammal, documented in dense evergreen forests), black-faced langur (commonly found in small groups in the tree canopy),

Indian pangolin The Indian pangolin (''Manis crassicaudata''), also called thick-tailed pangolin and scaly anteater is a pangolin native to the Indian subcontinent. Like other pangolins, it has large, overlapping scales on its body which act as armour. The colou ...

(rarely found in secondary forests), slender loris (rare and endangered),

bonnet macaque The bonnet macaque (''Macaca radiata''), also known as zati,Chambers English Dictionary is a species of macaque endemic to southern India. Its distribution is limited by the Indian Ocean on three sides and the Godavari and Tapti Rivers, along wit ...

(commonly found in troupes). Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary is an International Bird Area (IN177) which satisfies IBA criterion: A1. Globally threatened species, A2. Restricted-range species and A3. Biome-restricted species. IBA trigger species here are: Nilgiri wood-pigeon, Malabar parakeet, Malabar grey hornbill, grey-headed bulbul,

rufous babbler The rufous babbler (''Argya subrufa'') is an endemic species of bird found in the Western Ghats of southern India of the family Leiothrichidae It is dark brown and long tailed, and is usually seen foraging in noisy groups along open hillsides ...

, white-bellied blue-flycatcher and

crimson-backed sunbird The crimson-backed sunbird or small sunbird (''Leptocoma minima'') is a sunbird endemic to the Western Ghats of India. Like other sunbirds, they feed mainly on nectar although they take insects, especially to feed their young. They are tiny bird ...

. A total of 255 bird species have been recorded in the Sanctuary. Of these, 53 showed direct signs of breeding here.

Snake Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more ...

s found in the Mhadei Valley, including the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, include all of the "Big Four" venomous snakes in India: Indian krait,

Russell’s viper Russell's viper (''Daboia russelii''), is a venomous snake in the family Viperidae native to the Indian subcontinent and one of the big four snakes in India. It was described in 1797 by George Shaw and Frederick Polydore Nodder, and named a ...

saw-scaled viper ''Echis'' (common names: saw-scaled vipers, carpet vipersSpawls S, Branch B. 1995. ''The Dangerous Snakes of Africa''. Dubai: Ralph Curtis Books. Oriental Press. 192 pp. .) is a genus of vipers found in the dry regions of Africa, the Middle East ...

spectacled cobra The Indian cobra (''Naja naja''), also known as the spectacled cobra, Asian cobra, or binocellate cobra, is a species of cobra found in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan, and a member of the "big four" species that ...

, plus: banded kukri snake, banded racer, Beddome’s keelback, black slender coral snake, brahminy blind snake, checkered keelback, collared cat snake, common bronzeback, common Indian cat snake, common sand boa,

common wolf snake ''Lycodon capucinus'', also known as the Oriental wolf snake, is a species of colubrid snake, which is commonly found in the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Named after their enlarged front teeth, which gives them a muzzled appearance similar to ca ...

, common vine snake, copper-headed trinket snake, green pit viper, hump-nosed pit viper, Indian rat snake,

Indian rock python The Indian python (''Python molurus'') is a large python species native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is also known by the common names black-tailed python, Indian rock python, and Asian ...

, king cobra, Malabar pit viper, ocellated shield tail, ornate flying snake,

red sand boa ''Eryx johnii'' is a species of nonvenomous snake in the subfamily Erycinae of the family Boidae. The species is endemic to Iran, Pakistan, and India. There are no subspecies which are recognized as being valid. Common names include: Indian sand ...

, Sri Lankan cat snake, streaked Kukri snake, striped keelback, Travancore wolf snake,

tree snake Tree snake is a common name for several snakes and may refer to: *''Boiga irregularis'', the brown tree snake, native to Australia, Indonesia, and New Guinea, and notable as an invasive species in Guam *''Dendrelaphis ''Dendrelaphis'' is a genus ...

, Whitaker's sand boa and the yellow-spotted wolf snake.

Endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

species of

amphibians Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arbo ...

in the sanctuary include the

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...

marbled ramanella, the vulnerable Maharashtra bush frog, Beddome's leaping frog (Beddome’s Indian frog) and

Malabar gliding frog The Malabar gliding frog or Malabar flying frog (''Rhacophorus malabaricus'') is a rhacophorid tree frog species found in the Western Ghats of India. Pictures The term "gliding" frog refers to its ability to break its fall by stretching ...

. Mhadei area is known for three rare species of

caecilians Caecilians (; ) are a group of limbless, vermiform or serpentine amphibians. They mostly live hidden in the ground and in stream substrates, making them the least familiar order of amphibians. Caecilians are mostly distributed in the tropics of ...

(legless amphibians), Nadkarni's caecilian, th
Mhadei caecilian
and th
Goa caecilian
which was recently discovered and described from Keri village. At least 257 recorded species of butterflies are found in the sanctuary of the 330 recorded species in the Western Ghats. The largest butterfly in South India, the

southern birdwing ''Troides minos'', the southern birdwing, also called Sahyadri birdwing, is a large and striking swallowtail butterfly endemic to south India. With a wingspan of 140–190 mm, it is the second largest butterfly of India. It is listed as Lea ...

plus the

striped tiger ''Danaus genutia'', the common tiger, is one of the common butterflies of India. It belongs to the "crows and tigers", that is, the Danainae group of the brush-footed butterflies family. The butterfly is also called striped tiger in India to di ...

, common jezebel, common Indian crow, blue Mormon and other species of butterflies can are found here. Prominent among these is the blue tiger butterfly, which can be found until the summer. File:Columba elphinstonii.jpg, Nilgiri wood-pigeon File:Echis carinatus sal.jpg, Saw-scaled viper File:Rhacophorus malabaricus.jpg, Malabar flying frog File:Glassy Tiger.jpg, Glassy tiger File:Southern Birdwing - Sohini Vanjari.jpg, Southern birdwing, the largest butterfly in South India; wingspan: to File:Plumeria rubra (flowers).jpg, ''Chafara'' (red frangipani)

Flora

Sacred groves

Sacred grove Sacred groves or sacred woods are groves of trees and have special religious importance within a particular culture. Sacred groves feature in various cultures throughout the world. They were important features of the mythological landscape and ...

s were once common at almost all villages in Sattari. They traditionally render protection to a variety of flora and fauna. Copardem, three kilometres from Valpoi, is a village famed for the sacred grove tradition known locally as Devachi rai, a tradition of community conservation carried out in the name of the local deity. Formerly spread across of government land, much of the sacred grove is now encroached upon for cashew plantations and agriculture. The sacred grove is an excellent example of the old tradition of uneducated villagers protecting their environment. Among its variety of flora are towering trees such as shidam (''

Tetrameles nudiflora ''Tetrameles'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Tetramelaceae with one species, ''Tetrameles nudiflora''. It grows as a large deciduous tree and is found across southern Asia from India through southeast Asia, Malesia, and into nort ...

'') which support various other life forms in the grove. Creepers like garkani (''Entada scandens'') with their sword-like pods are found on the shidam, while the tree also houses beehives. The grove also has an evergreen species of ''Ashoka'', which bears unique saffron-coloured flowers. ''Pandanus furcatus'', known locally known as ''kegadi'', attracts village women when it bears flowers covered in yellow and soft thickets. During the monsoon, bioluminescent fungi growing on dead wood glitter at night. The grove is also conducive for the growth of a variety of edible mushrooms, such as '' roen alami, khutyali, sonyali'' and '' shringar''. In addition to mammals, the tall trees attract birds, including the

crested serpent eagle The crested serpent eagle (''Spilornis cheela'') is a medium-sized bird of prey that is found in forested habitats across tropical Asia. Within its widespread range across the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia and East Asia, there are considera ...

, Malabar grey hornbill and pied hornbill. Nanoda village, from Valpoi, has an ancient tradition of nature worship. It is etymologically related to the naked woman tree, locally known as the ''nano'' ('' Euphorbia tirucalli'' - pencil tree). Ancestors who lived in harmony with nature evolved the tradition of protecting the forest in honour of the local deity. Nanoda has two

sacred grove Sacred groves or sacred woods are groves of trees and have special religious importance within a particular culture. Sacred groves feature in various cultures throughout the world. They were important features of the mythological landscape and ...

s named Nirankarachi Rai after the holy spirit Nirankar: one lies on the border of Maloli and Nanoda and the other in Nanoda. The latter is slowly being weathered away by changing values and encroachments. In the past, large areas of forest land were protected through sacred groves such as Nirankarachi Rai. One would find various species of indigenous trees in these groves and no one dared cut a tree. In this way, villagers ensured their protection. The densely forested groves were also used by villagers to keep sculptures of village deities. Today, because of encroachments, the size of the groves has decreased, while the sculptures lie exposed to the vagaries of nature. Nanoda's Nirankarachi Rai, formerly spread across a large area, is now confined to a small patch where the

vulnerable species A vulnerable species is a species which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being threatened with extinction unless the circumstances that are threatening its survival and reproduction improve. Vulnera ...

hedu (satinwood), khait (''Mimosa catechu''), and ''chafara'' (red frangipani) trees are found. Majestic trees such as ''bhillo maad'' (coconut) have already been felled. Inside the sacred grove are 15 stone sculptures-of Gajlaxmi, Mahishasurmardini, Ravalnath, Brahmani, a horse rider and warriors-which are a part of Goa's archaeological heritage, weathering away. Animals such as ''sheryo'' (pangolin) and ''shekaro'' (Malabar giant squirrel) are found in sacred groves.

Threats

Threats to the unique ecology and biodiversity of the Mhedai Wildlife Sanctuary include illegal heavy vehicular traffic mismanagement of private lands,

illegal mining Illegal mining is mining activity that is undertaken without state permission, in particular in absence of land rights, mining licenses, and exploration or mineral transportation permits. Illegal mining can be a subsistence activity, as is the c ...

, tree-felling, monoculture plantations, industrial activities, poaching, and dams and river diversions, notably the Malaprabha Reservoir Project and

The Kalasa-Banduri Nala project The Kalasa-Banduri Nala is a project undertaken by the Government of Karnataka to improve drinking water supply to the Districts of Belagavi, Bagalkot, Dharwad and Gadag. It involves building across Kalasa and Banduri, two tributaries of the Mah ...

Mhadei tiger reserve

Proposal

On 20 June 2011, Jairam Ramesh,

Minister of State Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. I ...

Ministry of Environment and Forests The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) is an Indian government ministry. This ministry is headed by Secretary Rank senior most IAS officer. The ministry portfolio is currently held by Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister ...

, advised Digambar Kamat, Chief Minister of Goa, to propose the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary as a

because of the presence of resident Bengal tigers. The MOEF urged Goa to seriously consider the proposal because Mhadei is a 'contiguous tiger landscape' to Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka to its southeast and to Anshi Dandeli Tiger Reserve which has around 35 tigers to its southeast in Karnataka. Ramesh noted that the protected areas of Goa and their contiguous forests in Karnataka and Maharashtra are possibly some of the best tiger habitats in the Western Ghats and are in need of protection. Tigers are a conservation dependent species. He suggested expanding the tiger reserve beyond the existing Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary. On 8 August 2011, Goa Forests Minister Filipe Neri Rodrigues questioned the existence of tigers in the state. "It is not my job to know whether there are any tigers here." Rodrigues also said, "the state government would not reply to a directive from former union environment and forests minister minister Jairam Ramesh asking the Goa government to submit a proposal for setting up a tiger reserve, unless specifically asked for. Why should we reply?" It is alleged that the Goa government's sluggishness to acknowledge the presence of tigers in Goa is linked to the state's

Rs. Rupee is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, B ...

6,500

crore A crore (; abbreviated cr) denotes ten million (10,000,000 or 107 in scientific notation) and is equal to 100 lakh in the Indian numbering system. It is written as 1,00,00,000 with the local 2,2,3 style of digit group separators (one lakh is eq ...

( US$ ~13,000,000.) mining industry, which rings the Western Ghats and most of the tiger terrain near the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary. On 9 August 2011, there was public announcement that "in principle" approval was accorded by the

National Tiger Conservation Authority The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) was established in December 2005, following a recommendation of the Tiger Task Force, constituted by the Prime Minister of India for reorganised management of Project Tiger and the many Tiger Res ...

for creation of a new tiger reserve at Mhadei Sanctuary. Under section 38V of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 the Goa state government was then authorised to notify Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary as a tiger reserve. There is considerable local community support for creation of the tiger reserve which would ensure long term protection of

-rich areas. In September, 2011, the Save Goa Campaign - UK initiated a petition addressed to The Goa

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests The Indian Forest Service (IFS) is one of the three All India Services of the Government of India. The other two All India Services being the Indian Administrative Service and the Indian Police Service. It was constituted in the year 1966 und ...

, Dr. Shashi Kumar, IFS, in support of Goa's first tiger reserve.

Tiger presence

The contiguous forests of Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra including the wildlife sanctuaries of Goa in the Mhadei river valley, the Anshi Tiger Reserve and the reserve forests and wildlife sanctuary of

Radhanagari Radhanagari is a town and the headquarters of Radhanagari tehsil in the Radhanagari subdivision of Kolhapur district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is located on the banks of the Bhogawati River, near the Radhanagari Dam and the Rad ...

in Karnataka,

Chandoli National Park Chandoli National Park is a national park established in Sangli district on May 2004. Earlier it was a Wildlife Sanctuary declared in 1985. Chandoli Park is notable as the southern portion of the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, with Koyna Wildlife San ...

and the reserve forests of

Purna : Purna is a town with a municipal council in Parbhani district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Geography Purna is located at . It has an average elevation of . Purna is situated in the Maharashtra state of India. Demographics India cen ...

and

Dodamarg Dodamarg taluka is a taluka in Sindhudurg district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Dodamarg Taluka is situated between latitudes 15° 37' N and 15° 60' north and longitudes 73° 19' E and 73° 40' east. It is bordered by the Goa state to t ...

in Maharashtra have been named as Tiger Conservation Units (TCU) numbers 68 to 72, class: II (minimum habitat area to support 50 tigers or documented evidence of 50 tigers) and III (some information on threats and conservation measures is available, but not classified as Class I or II) by WWFInternational. The Mhadei region lies along the Vagheri hills which means "abode of tiger". In 2011, a map showing the locations of severa
tiger sightings
in and near Mhedai Wildlife sanctuary was prepared by the Vivekanand Environment Awareness Brigade (VEAB) at Keri. On 24 January 2011 government officials and a senior environmentalist found pugmarks of a tiger adult and a cub near the Anjunem dam, confirming the presence of tiger in the area. Parshuram Kambli, working on the dam first reported the pugmarks. Residents living near the dam supported the claim, stating they have been hearing the tiger roar in the past fortnight. In December 2010, a local resident, Pandurang Gawas, and his son saw a tiger and cub crossing the road that passes alongside the dam. Also in 2011, the Goa Forest Department recorded tiger pug marks in this area during the Goa Wildlife Census conducted with the help of Dehradun-based

Wildlife Institute of India The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is an autonomous natural resource service institution established in 1982 under the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate change, Government of India. WII carries out wildlife research in areas of stu ...

(WII). The 2010

tiger estimation described the Goa stretch of the Western Ghats as an important tiger corridor between Anshi-Dandeli Tiger Reserve in Karnataka and the Sahyadris in

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdi ...

, and confirmed occupancy of

tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

in the state’s forests. In October, 2009

poachers Poaching has been defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set a ...

were arrested near Mhadei with a tiger carcass and in recent years a live adult female tiger with a cub was sighted in the area. The staff of the Wildernest Resort at

Chorla Ghat Chorla Ghat ( mar, चोरला घाट kan, ಚೋರ್ಲಾ ಘಾಟ್) is an Indian nature destination, located on the intersection of the borders of the states of Goa, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. It lies to the north-east of Panaj ...

also sighted a tiger in the region in 2009. Also in the Chorla Ghat area, a part of the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, there was a confirmed kill of a female domestic buffalo by an adult male tiger. Confirmation of the presence of a male tiger came to light after villagers from Chorla and surrounding areas reported sightings and viewed pugmarks in several locations in the Chorla Ghats. In May 2019, camera traps recorded tigers in this sanctuary and Mollem National Park, the first records in the state since 2013.

References

External sources

Centre asks Goa for tiger reserve proposal again
15-8-2012
Bhimagad forest is now wildlife sanctuary
12-2-2011
Map
{{Western Ghats Wildlife sanctuaries in Goa Wildlife sanctuaries of the Western Ghats Tiger reserves of India 1999 establishments in Goa Geography of North Goa district Tourist attractions in North Goa district Protected areas established in 1999