Panaji: Grassroots wildlife activists who have been fighting for notification of Goa's rich, but mining-threatened, forests as a tiger reserve have found a unique way to compensate a 51-year-old widow whose cow was killed by a big cat in September.

The milk-yielding cow was a lifeline for Sai Pingle, 55, a dhangar tribal woman and a mother of two boys living in a thatched hut in the remote village of Ponsuli on the fringe of the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary.

"We decided to collect money and compensate her with another cow. The local population should not turn against the tiger. It is imperative that they realise how important the animal is for the sustenance of this forest in the long run," renowned wildlife activist Rajendra Kerkar told IANS.

His Vivekanand Environment Awareness Brigade (VEAB) has taken the lead for collecting donations for the cow. "A desi variety cow, the kind which was killed by the tiger, costs Rs.15,000, but a tiger is priceless," Kerkar said.

Kerkar's anxiety stems from extremely practical reasons.

Last year, a tiger was snared and poached in the very same Mhadei wildlife sanctuary by members of a local hunting tribe called the majiks. Interestingly, both top forest department officials and the local administration first tried to cover up the poaching incident. The chief conservator of forests, Shashi Kumar, even went to the extent of calling Kerkar, who exposed the poaching episode, an abettor.

"The sensitisation of the local population towards the tiger is extremely essential to ensure the preservation of the animal. If the tiger is to frequent the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary, the local residents cannot have animosity towards it," Kerkar said.

He said people like Sai Pingle who live near wildlife sanctuaries should not begin to curse the king of the jungle.

Pingle's cow is not the only kill by carnivores in recent times. Increasing mining activity near Goa's wildlife sanctuaries has resulted in the displacement of the fauna near settlement areas, surrounding the protected habitat.

"Pingle and others like her cannot be compensated officially by the forest department because cattle are not allowed to graze in the wildlife sanctuary territory. So this is our effort to ensure that the kill does not affect her feelings for the tiger," said Kerkar.