(IN): Leopards on the run

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http://www.assamtribune.com/aug0209/sunday1.html

 

*Leopards on the run*

 

Our State Assam is among the most fortunate of states to have the privilege

of harbouring a large variety of wildlife in rural and suburban landscapes.

The prime species in this category is the Indian Leopard (Panthera pardus).

We have a large population of this magnificent cat residing and roaming in

the tea gardens of Central and Upper Assam. This is a wonderful first glance

picture for any wildlife enthusiast or Nature lover. But the next picture of

this same situation is a grim, pathetic and even fearful one, for the

leopards of our gardens are waging a desperate battle for survival,

snatching a morsel of food here and there, trying to escape from human

assault in between and traversing long distances during the night in search

of food. Yes indeed, circumstances have reduced this carnivore into a

fugitive, lurking in the gardens and trying to make a life for itself. With

growing proximity to humans, it had, over the years, lost its fear of humans

considerably and I have witnessed and also heard about instances when

leopards had rendered stretches of tea garden paths untraversable by humans

by its ferocious presence.

 

The pathetic condition of leopards today can be attributed to several

reasons, the first of which, no doubt, is the shrinking of forest habitat,

but at the same time, the most valid reason why leopards roam our tea

gardens is that the tea bushes, intersected by narrow paths and nullahs,

provide the best possible habitat for the leopards to live in and breed.

Infact, leopards had been living in our gardens since decades. But, the

deterioration of the habitat conditions of our reserved forests and over

eighty percent depletion of the leopards’ natural prey base in these

reserved forests has compelled a very high percentage of our leopards to

adapt to the alternative habitat i.e. the tea gardens.

 

The threats to these garden leopards is mostly due to human intolerance and

revengeful outlook towards the presence of leopards in their vicinity. No

doubt this is because leopards are taking a toll of the villagers’ livestock

and have sometimes attacked them as well. But one aspect must be understood

and it is that sufferers from leopard depredation always exaggerate their

losses. Sometime back, it had been reported that twelve cows of one farmer

had been killed by a leopard within twenty days, but the fact was that the

concerned leopard was in that area since only seven days. So the farmer’s

statement was false.

 

During the night time, when leopards break into cattle sheds or, most

frequently, a goat pen or duckery and try to snatch one of these livestock,

the owners usually shout from inside the house or sometimes venture out and

make a hue and cry so that the leopards are most often forced to abandon

their kill. When the kill is smaller i.e. a goat or a duck, he manages to

escape with it.

 

It is during those desperate kills the leopard makes during the day that

they are most vulnerable to an organised human mass assault. What happens in

these cases is that if a leopard – after a fruitless night’s hunt (leopards

are usually nocturnal hunters) – tries to make off with a goat or a calf in

the tea garden or village area, it is immediately noticed by the villagers

or garden labourers and there is a hue and cry and a large gathering of a

few dozen to a couple of hundred or, more people accumulate. Now the

revengeful villagers vow to wipe out the leopard and try to encircle it and

club it to death with all sorts of crude weapons that they can get hold of.

And finally, they succeed in doing that, with a few local males taking the

lead.

 

Imagine the situation from the leopard’s point. After an unsuccessful night

hunt, weakened by hunger, in the morning he has desperately acquired some

food for himself and then a whole mob has snatched him of his very life.

There can never be a more mournful and pathetic scene for any species of

wildlife currently in Assam.

 

Another very important threat that our garden leopards are facing is death

or injury due to interspecies conflicts. Leopards are highly territorial,

specially the males, and they strongly resent their territory being

trespassed by others, in which case a conflict is almost inevitable and the

weaker or the smaller one is almost certain to get killed unless he makes

good his escape with some serious injuries. So, here is another possibility

of losing some of our leopards. In fact, this has been reported from several

gardens.

 

There are a few other threats as well to our leopards. Road accidents have

claimed the lives of several leopards over the last few years. These

accidents occur mostly as leopards try to cross over national highways

adjoining tea gardens.

 

Other grim possibilities should also be taken note of. Since poisoning of

elephants has been taking place since some time now, we cannot wholly rule

out the possibility of the same happening in the case of leopards, because

now it seems that the villagers and garden labourers of the leopard infested

areas are a desperate people.

 

So, finally, the question arises as to how to go about seeking a remedy to

this very serious man-leopard conflict situation, so that we can ensure the

safety of the leopards and also protect people and their livestock. Two of

the parties who are at the forefront in handling this crisis are the Forest

department and the tea garden managements. They are trying to do the most

they can for the benefit of the leopards and the concerned people. But both

these organisations have their limitations. Today, illegal logging and

forest encroachment are two of the gravest threats to our forests and the

forest department has to utlise most of their resources towards fighting

these two problems and, to their credit, they have made some commendable

progress in that line. So, we must seek to work closely with them on that

aspect.

 

Secondly, tea management is making utmost efforts to minimize the man –

leopard conflicts in their gardens by instructing the labourers and others

not to harm the leopards but nevertheless, things sometimes get out of hand.

We must realize that the tea management people, since time immemorial, were

the best of naturalists who live in the lap of Nature.

 

Now the time has come for all the parties concerned to arrive at a broader

consensus and formulate a mutually beneficial and co-ordinated work

programme which provides some remedies for the present as well as the

future. Target specific awareness programmes would play a vital role.

 

A very sympathetic outlook, total assessment of the ground situation and a

will to conserve this magnificent big cat without any hegemony by all

concerned could only safeguard this magnificent species of wildlife which I

call our “Garden Leopards”.

 

*Asif Ahmed Hazarika*

 

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