Increasing instances of leopards straying into inhabited areas has prompted the Haryana Forest Department to seek a detailed study from the Wildlife Institute of India on why wild animals, especially big cats, are leaving the safety of the forests to enter populated areas.
In the last six months, there have been five incidents — apart from countless sightings — of human-leopard conflict, with the most recent one reported on April 27 when an adult male leopard strayed into Durga Colony in Sohna town. The feline was rescued after a four-hour operation.
But not every incident has ended on such a satisfactory note. On November 24, 2016, a leopard injured nine people before it was clubbed to death by the locals after it strayed into Mandawar village in Sohna.
Inadequate training, resources
The incident brought to light the inadequate training and resources of the Forest Department.
The officials conceded that the Department lacked the wherewithal, including vehicles, to effectively deal with situations of human-animal conflict and had only one tranquilliser gun for six districts in the region.
Survival of the fittest: A leopard strayed into Mandawar village of Haryana in November 2016. The big cat ran amok on the streets, causing panic among the people. It was eventually beaten to death.
Besides, the staff are not well trained in search and rescue operations of leopards, though a few training classes were held after the incident in Mandawar village.
While efforts are on to boost their capability in dealing with stray leopards, the officials are also trying to find out what is making the animals leave the forests.
Rapid urbanisation, which is gradually shrinking forest space for wildlife, is often cited as a major reason, but officials said the problem is aggravated with the onset of summer and drying up of water bodies in the forest.
The Department has repaired and replenished a few natural water bodies at Mangar and Bandhwari, but the efforts seem inadequate.
“Lack of resources and manpower are the major hurdles. We have written to the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram to replenish these water bodies. April and May are the most difficult months. We hope the situation improves in July with the onset of monsoon,” said Divisional Wildlife Forest Officer Shyam Sunder.
Survival of the fittest: A leopard strayed into Mandawar village of Haryana in November 2016. The big cat ran amok on the streets, causing panic among the people. It was eventually beaten to death.
Fewer hideouts
“Besides water, food could be the other reason for wild animals entering villages. The study will help us find the real reason and address the problem,” said Mr. Sinha.
Haryana Forest Development Corporation general manager Subhash Yadav pointed out that animals are also deprived of their hideouts during summer as fields lie vacant.
“Wild animals, including leopards, venture into fields during winter to cross over to another part of the forest. They are able to hide in the mustard crops. In summer, they do not have this advantage,” said Mr. Yadav.
Blaming the lack of public awareness and people's mindset, Koustubh Sharma, senior regional ecologist with the Snow Leopard Trust, said there were dozens of examples from across the country where leopards were living peacefully with humans — such as in Mumbai, Jawai (Rajasthan)and Shimla.
Living in harmony
“The animals even pass through courtyards of houses regularly. I think it is important to note that unless cornered, a leopard will simply escape into what it considers safe — the forest,” said Dr. Sharma.
He added, “Just like we do not corner and kill stray dogs or cattle, that can also cause grave injuries to humans, we should learn to let leopards walk back to the forest if they stray into human habitation.”
Environmental analyst Chetan Agarwal said wildlife had revived in the Aravallis over the past decade after the Supreme Court banned mining in the mountain range in Haryana, but the younger generation in villages bordering forests was not accustomed to living in harmony with wildlife and reacted violently.
“The younger generation in villages such as Mandawar, Nimot and Kherli Lala, is not used to the presence of wildlife and reacts violently on spotting animals. This is in contrast to Mangar village, a dense forest, where people often sight leopards and are tolerant towards them. It is not unusual for wildlife to stray into villages bordering jungles in search of water and prey, so there is need to create awareness and sensitise villagers,” said Mr. Agarwal.
Mining in Aravallis
However, Mr. Sinha said mining in the Aravallis in several parts of Rajasthan could also be forcing wildlife to cross into Haryana, leading to increased cases of human-wildlife conflict.
Leopards in inhabited areas
November 24, 2016
A male leopard was clubbed to death by the locals after it strayed into Mandawar village in Sohna
December 28, 2016
A male leopard was caught by the district Forest Department officials after it entered Malhaka village at Nuh
February 16, 2017
A leopard entered the densely -populated Krishna Colony at Palwal. The feline was caught in an operation that lasted for more than five hours. A forest official was also injured
March 21, 2017
A leopard was sighted at Mandawar village in Sohna. Felines were sighted regulary in neighbouring villages earlier as well
April 27, 2017
An adult male leopard strayed into Durga Colony in Sohna town. The feline was successfully rescued after a four-hour operation
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• No formal study has been conducted by the Haryana Forest Department so far to map areas where leopards are found in Aravallis in Haryana
• The Gurgaon and Faridabad Aravallis are criss-crossed by leopard movement — extensive pug marks have been seen in Roj ka Gujjar, Kot, Mangar, Gothra Mohabatabad, and Badkhal
• Besides leopard, striped Hyena, Indian golden jackal, ruddy mongoose, small Indian civet and common palm civet, mongoose, neelgai , etc., have a presence in the Aravallis. Several critically endangered, near endangered, and rare birds have been reported from south of Asola in Mangar
