The investigations into Goa’s tiger poaching case got a boost with forensic report confirming that the remains collected from a plantation were of a striped cat.
Chief Conservator of Forest Dr. Shashi Kumar told reporters that Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has confirmed that the sample matches to that of a tiger.
“One of the seven samples has matched. Seven samples were found of which the sixth one matched to that of a tiger. Even if one matches it proves that the animal is a tiger,” he said.
The state forest department, which received the report two weeks back, had maintained an uncanny silence over it until a local English newspaper leaked the report last week.
The final report which was received by the deputy conservator of forest (North division) G.T. Kumar has overruled the preliminary report, which had raised doubts on whether the animal remains found in a cashew plantation of Keri village were really of a tiger.
Environmentalists in the state had protested the WII’s first report which had said that the samples did not match to that of a tiger.