Local Resident Spots A Tiger In Gujarat Almost 34 Years After The Last One Died In Road Mishap

Kriti Gupta

Updated: Feb 10, 2019, 14:38 PM IST

Last year in September Gujarat forest department was at the receiving end of a lot of flak because 23 Asiatic lions had died in the Gir forest owing to a canine distemper virus (CDV) epidemic.

Madhya Pradesh government has been fighting with the Gujarat government for shifting of lions to its state as a second home for the wild cats. However, the order hasn’t been implemented by the latter since the judgement was passed in 2013.
While neighbouring states like Rajasthan house many tigers, Gujarat isn’t home to tigers at all. PTI reported in January this year the last time a tiger was spotted in Gujarat was way back in 1985. Now, over three decades later, a census has been planned next month to ascertain the presence of the striped animal in the forest of Dang district.

The Dang district in Gujarat which is full of green forests might be home to a few tigers. Until the 1980s, tigers roamed about forests of Dang, Narmada and Sabarkantha districts. However, the last tiger had died in a road accident in Dang in 1985 according to Gujarat principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife) G K Sinha.

After 34 years, a government teacher has reported seeing the striped animal on February 06. Times of India reported that a teacher named Mahesh Mahera saw the wild cat crossing the road into the wilderness of Boriya village in Lunawada Taluka in Mahisagar district.
https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/local-resident-spots-a-tiger-in-gujarat-almost-34-years-after-the-last-one-died-in-road-mishap-361884.html