By Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji
Panaji, Oct 10: For the first time, the environmentalists have documented the stripe necked mongooses in the forest region of Goa-Maharashtra border in the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary.
Incidently, the citings have come on the backdrop of wildlife conservation week, which culminated on October 8.
The environmentalists during their track to this belt found two individuals of stripe necked mongoose (Herpestes vittcollis) in the forests of Virdi village of Dodamarg taluka in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district.
The village borders both the states and is a part of Mhadei wildlife sanctuary, which has majority of forest cover in Goa.
"The citings attains importance as the world celebrates wild life conservation week, preaching the concept of wild life conservation for our better tomorrow. We used to see gray mongoose in this area but never had citing of this species. This is an addition to the bio diversity of Mhadei wildlife sanctuary," an environmentalist Nirmal Kulkarni who has documented this species said.
Kulkarni said that this area is contiguous to the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary of Goa and the Proposed Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary of Karnataka.
"The Stripe necked mongoose is a stocky mammal and is considered one of the largest mongooses in Asia," he said.
The environmentalist added that while specimens from South India are a darker rufous color, while those sighted in the Virdi forests were yellowish grey in color.
"The field identification for this large mongoose is the tail- which is three fourths of the body length and has a black tip which is pointed upwards. The prominent brownish black stripe running from the ear to the shoulder gives it the name the Stripe Necked Mongoose."
It feeds on small mammals and young ones of other creatures including birds and crabs and others and is ostensibly is a shy elusive creature, kulkarni added.
The environmentalist who is working on the herpetofauna (reptiles and amphibians) of the Mahdei Region said that these individuals were seen foraging for smaller life forms in a clearing in the forests.