advertisement
The Gujarat government has confirmed the presence of a tiger in the state, days after a man claimed he saw the big cat crossing a road in Mahisagar district. State forest minister Ganpatsinh Vasava said on Tuesday, 12 February that the carnivore was caught on cameras set up by the forest department in that area.
Subsequent surveys carried out every four years by the central government showed no presence of tigers in the state, he said.
On Sunday, 10 February, a local government schoolteacher Mahesh Mahera claimed he saw a tiger crossing a road near Boriya village in Mahisagar, over 120 kilometres from Ahmedabad, on 6 February and clicked its picture on his mobile phone. He shared it with friends on social media platforms.
Mahera claimed he spotted the tiger when he was returning from school on 6 February evening.
The photo soon went viral and based on the teacher's claim, the forest department set up several camera traps in that area.
Vasava said the tiger might have come to Gujarat from any of the neighbouring states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh or Maharashtra, where the striped animals are found.
He said the state government will now contact the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which has the data of tigers across the country, to ascertain where the feline came from.
The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) will also be involved in carrying out a survey in the area to find out if this region is conducive for tigers, he said. “We now agree that there is a tiger in Gujarat. WII will study if the area could be developed for tigers. We are also seeking NTCA's guidance,” he said.
Vasava said it was yet to be ascertained how long and where the lone tiger had been roaming in Gujarat. “We are yet to ascertain if that area was the tiger's permanent residence or whether it migrated from neighbouring states. It is certain that Gujarat is also a part of tiger's natural corridor,” he said.
“Later, camera traps were set up and we have now got visual evidence of a tiger in the area. It is not necessary that we will find the tiger in the same area, so we will continue to keep a watch,” he said.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)