KERI: Never was a cashew apple-plucking exercise so memorable, albeit frightening, for Latika Pandhari Velip.
The 45-year-old was hard at work in her cashew plantation at Cavrem on Tuesday evening when the unusual antics of her pet dog made her look around.
"There stood the tiger just a short way from where the dog and I were," says the still shaken up Latika.
Speechless and very frightened at the time, the mother-of-one says she calmed down only when the tiger moved away from them and into the forest around.
"I was very frightened, but the tiger only threw us a glance and went off majestically into the forest," says Latika.
Cavrem, a village in Quepem taluka, is no stranger to the presence of wild animals, including the big cat.
2009 the body of a bison supposedly killed by a tiger was found in a cashew plantation in the village. The incident was reported to the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) and the Goa forest department by local resident Tulshidas Velip through a memorandum.
When questioned about Latika's sighting of a tiger in the village on Tuesday, forest officials refused to comment.
Latika, however, told TOI, "Our forefathers have lived in this forested village in harmony with wild animals. On earlier occasions I have felt the presence of leopards, but the sight of the tiger in front of me is something I will never forget. It was indeed memorable."
Environmental activist Terence George, who works with the tribal Velip community in the region, adds, "Cavrem village has a rich forest cover which the local community protects through the tradition of sacred groves.
However, illegal mining activities in and around Cavrem has disturbed the forests and in turn the habitat of wild animals, including the tiger."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Tiger-sighted-in-Cavrem-plantation/articleshow/7847578.cms
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