Tiger spotted in Gujarat after three decades

AHMEDABAD: 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 that the carnivore was caught on cameras set up by the forest department in that area. “It has now been confirmed. A tiger in the age-group of 7 to 8 years has been seen in Mahisagar district,” Vasava told reporters in Gandhinagar. The striped animal was last seen in Gujarat in 1989. Subsequent surveys carried out every four years by the central government showed no presence of tiger in the state, he said. A local government school teacher had last week claimed that he saw a tiger crossing a road near Boriya village in Mahisagar, around 120 km from here, on February 6. The teacher clicked the animal’s picture on his mobile phone and shared it with friends on social media platforms. The photo soon went viral and based on the teacher’s claim, the forest department department set up several camera traps in that area. (PTI)