Rise in panther population in India

Forest officials in the state have blamed the increased panther population and the decreasing private forest cover for the rising incidents of panthers straying into urban areas. Until a few years back, Goa reported just six incidents of panthers straying from the forests, but these have increased in the last two years. Last week, a panther was trapped in Bicholim and another one was sighted in the Goa university campus.

Goa’s deputy conservator of forest Santosh Singh told TOI, "Goa has 1,224 sq km of forest which belong to the government. Another 200 sq km is demarcated as private forests. Development taking place on private forests and other green areas the habitat for panthers are decreasing."