Leopard saved, now what?

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Link: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070213/asp/guwahati/story_7382850.asp

 

Leopard saved, now what?

- Lack of areas to rehabilitate rescued animals puts forest department

in a spot

ROOPAK GOSWAMI

 

Feb. 12: A few days ago, when a leopard that had strayed into a busy

area of the city was tranquillised and captured at Bhaskarnagar, many

felt it was a job well done. But for the forest department, it was an

addition to a problem already on its hands — the lack of a proper

place to rehabilitate big cats that wander out of their habitat.

 

" This is a challenging task because any wrong step on our part can

create havoc, " divisional forest officer of Assam state zoo Narayan

Mahanta said. Mahanta said four aspects have to be considered before a

leopard can be rehabilitated — its new home must be within range of

the spot it is rescued from, with adequate prey base, sufficient

water, and, most importantly, away from human settlements.

 

Most often, these big cats are rescued from the hillocks at Fatasil

Ambari and Kamakhya areas of the city, which are densely populated.

" It is very difficult to release them in these places as the residents

will protest, " Mahanta pointed out.

 

The DFO said a leopard had also been micro-chipped here for the first

time. Releasing the regal cats was top priority, but the problem lay

in identifying a suitable place for rehabilitation, he said. The

leopard count at the zoo has risen to 13 with the addition of the

recently rescued cat.

 

Rapid destruction of habitats has made these wild creatures the newest

players in the drama of human-animal conflict. Forced out of their

natural surroundings, leopards are straying into the city, putting not

only humans but also themselves at risk. Several leopards that

wandered into urban areas have been killed by panic-stricken

residents, drowned in wells or met with accidents. The situation is

such that the forest department has to be on its toes each time

reports of a stray leopard come in.

 

" It would be foolish to further compound the conflict by taking a

wrong decision, " he said.

 

Depletion of forest cover is also taking its toll — the receding

greens signal a diminishing prey base. With acres of reserve forests

falling prey to encroachment, the leopards have been forced to find

shelter and food in the concrete jungle.

 

While 90 per cent of encroachers move into forests to set up makeshift

homes, the rest of the land is used for extended cropping.

 

The only way to chalk out a strategy to save the big cats is to

monitor their movements at every step. But inaccessibility and

encroachments are posing a major hurdle.

 

Wildlife activist Firoz Ahmed of Aaranyak said a proper estimate of

the number of leopards roaming in the outskirts of the city has to be

made. For this, each animal needs to be fitted with radio collars,

which will help track them down. " A baseline study has to be carried

out on leopards in the city to chalk out a strategy to tackle the

problem, " Ahmed said.