Guest guest Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 The Hindu called him/her a leopard in the previous articles and then a jaguar and then mentioned panthers (Latin root word for Jaguar or Leopard). Below are the two articles that refer to the incident. Photos of the animal are in the links below and yes he has spots! First the Forest Dept. was saying they would use live bait (a goat?) to lure and trap the animal but then Pradeep Nath of Visakha SPCA wrote and they backed off and used mutton instead. --- Date:31/01/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/01/31/stories/2008013158460300.htm -------- Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam Development pushes them to the brink Focus G. Narasimha Rao Loss of habitat makes wild animals stray into the city and its surrounding areas, say environmentalists -------- Environmentalists sound a caution Need to maintain ecological balance stressed -------- A file photo. Nowhere to go: The male jaguar that was caught and put in Indira Gandhi Zoological Park in the city looks forlorn. VISAKHAPATNAM: Vizagites are proud of their city’s naturally-endowed beauty and tranquility. Development on big scale has further enhanced the city’s reputation and the number of tourists goes up. A Vizagite or a visitor is certainly impressed by the way the city and its suburbs are developing. At the same time, they also see the panthers straying into the city suburbs. This development is in fact a warning, say environmentalists and animal lovers. The warning is not about the threat the wild animals pose to people but the damage people are doing to the naturally- endowed city and its surroundings. The development is destroying the forests, hills and the greenery which are all the natural habitat of wild animals forcing them to come out. When a panther was spotted on the BHPV premises a decade ago, it was attributed to the greenery and people also felt proud of the greenery the city is endowed with. But during the last few years there are many incidents of panthers being spotted in the city and its suburbs. If the panthers are seen near Rushikonda, Thotlakonda, Timmapuram, the GVMC dumping yard near Kapuluppada, and other places and even in Akkayyapalem a few years ago it is due to their natural habitat having been disturbed or even destroyed. The most recent one is the trapping of a panther near Timmapuram on Tuesday night. Dig at government Man’s inherent fear about the wild animals makes him attack the animal, which retaliates causing injuries or even death. But this unfortunate development can be avoided if the wild animal’s natural habitat is not disturbed. The Government has failed to keep its promise that the hills in and around Visakhapatnam will not be exploited for commercial use but handed over to the forest department or other agencies to improve green cover. But it is now busy disposing of the lands and hills. The result is immediately felt. Elephants from Orissa entering the Vizianagaram and Srikukulam villages where they destroyed crops and caused some deaths, is also due to their natural habitats having been disturbed, due to mining activity. No one opposes development but it should not result in forcing an animal-man conflict. A former secretary to the Union Government and convenor of Forum for Better Visakha E.A.S. Sarma wants the Government to draw lessons from these developments. Panthers straying into the human habitat is only a small issue of the major problem. Besides the panthers’ issue, the washing ashore of turtles, Orissa elephants entering the Andhra border and sea surge due to construction of a new port are all linked to the destruction of natural habitat. Eco protection Government and its agencies must explore ways and also consult the Forest Department, horticulturalists, Andhra University and other institutions and organisations, particularly the villagers and fishermen, to protect environment, he says. “Rushikonda forest area might not have been declared a Reserve Forest as it is a place where the panthers live. An animal is not like a human being who can adjust himself to any environment. It becomes aggressive if its life is disturbed and show abnormal behaviour,” says Conservator of Forests P.V. Padmanabham. There are about 10 panthers living on the hillocks of Simhachalam, Kambalakonda, Yerrakonda, Seetakonda and other areas in and around the city. The panthers move to an isolated spot and colonise the area. There are many such places around the city but now the same areas are being approached by people and the animals are getting disturbed. Divisional Forest Officer P.J. Vijayakar says: “The State Government, VUDA, GVMC and other related agencies must hand over the forests to the Forest Department or any other agency to improve the greenery so that the ecological balance is maintained. Visakhapatnam city has 16,000 hectares of Reserve Forest and if it is protected, the greenery as well as wildlife will increase.” © Copyright 2000 - 2008 The Hindu Date:30/01/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/01/30/stories/2008013057810300.htm -------- Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam Forest staff trap leopard Photo: K.R. Deepak End of the road: The leopard that was trapped by the forest officials in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday night. — VISAKHAPATNAM: A leopard was trapped near Thimmapuram late in the night of Tuesday by the forest officials. The leopard was trapped with the help of a cage and mutton as a bait. It is around two to three years old, according to Divisional Forest Officer P.J. Vijaykar. Of late, leopards have been straying into the human habitat from the Kambalakonda range for want of food. A couple of days ago a poclain operator, V. Lakshman of Yellamanchili mandal, was injured when a leopard, possibly from the Kambalakonda forest range, attacked him near NVP Law College in Madhuravada and a 19-year-old girl faced similar situation on a hill near Rushikonda. A few days ago, Visakhapatnam range Conservator of Forests P.V. Padmanabham said that there were at least seven leopards in the Kambalakonda range. Environmentalists, however, expressed their displeasure at the capture of the leopard and opined that the government was busy encroaching the hills and forest land to please MNCs without giving a second thought for the environment and preserving the natural habitat of the animals. © Copyright 2000 - 2008 The Hindu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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