Panaji, Feb 12 (IANS): A month after four tigers were poisoned to death by tribals in North Goa's Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, the state forest department has launched an ambitious plan to erect fences around settlement pockets located deep in forested areas to prevent man-animal conflict, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Wednesday.

Sawant said the process of demarcating settlements in wildlife sanctuaries had already begun.

"Considering that incident, our efforts are on to ensure that stray families living in the deep forested interiors, are relocated outside wildlife sanctuaries," Sawant said.

"We are trying to demarcate villages in wildlife areas in order to erect fencing around them. It is a big project," Sawant said. The fences he said would help villages stay secure, as well as make sure that wild animals do not stray into human habitats.

Four tribals were arrested last month in connection with the death of four tigers. The tigers had been allegedly poisoned to death by the tribals, after the carnivores had killed two heads of cattle belonging to the forest dwellers.

Sawant said that all range forest officers had been instructed to establish contact with tribals and other residents in wildlife sanctuaries and maintain a good rapport with them, to prevent the repetition of any untoward incident, like the death of the four tigers.