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Mrudul Godbole
04-03-2010, 10:25 PM
India has lost no less than 62 leopards in the first 50 days of 2010 — more than a leopard a day, according to records available with the Wildlife Protection Society of India. Given that within the same period we have lost eight tigers, the leopard may well beat the tiger in the extinction race.

The killings are mainly concentrated in Uttarakhand: from the New Year to February 20, 26 of these big cats met their end, a threefold increase from 2008 when the State lost nine leopards during the same period. The killings are brutal — in just one day, February 12, a leopard was found ensnared with its limbs chopped off and the claws apparently are sold as good luck charms — near Dehradun. Another was found hanging from a tree entangled in a metal wire noose in Jhajhra forest range, also near the State capital.

Such incidents are across the country. In Uttar Pradesh, a leopard was beaten to death by villagers near Bahraich on February 21; while in Yusmarg, in Jammu & Kashmir, the animal was found dead in a trap, markedly the handiwork of poachers, on January 21.
“It’s a war out there,” declares Belinda Wright, WPSI. And the leopard is the loser. From 235 leopard deaths in the country in 2008, the mortality has escalated to 291 in the next year to over 60 in just seven weeks in 2010. Ironically, such large mortality does indicate a fairly decent population of leopards, but points out a senior forest official in Uttarakhand, “it cannot survive this large offtake”. Also, it may well be remembered that the leopard’s habitat has declined drastically, forcing it out in the open, where it is more noticeable — and vulnerable.

The leopard is condemned in every way - poached for its skin and bones, the former to cater to demands of fashion, and the latter a substitute for tiger bones; it is mowed down by trains and vehicles like the young male who was crushed under a speeding vehicle on January 21 at Lal Kuan near Haldwani in Uttarakhand.

Its nemesis, though, is conflict. The leopard is essentially a solitary animal, a rare sight in the wild. Not a top predator, it lives on the fringes of the forest, preying on small game like barking deer, cheetal, langur. With its habitat degraded, and natural prey poached - the leopard has been forced to set up camp near human habitation, and to survive it lives off dogs, goats, cattle - and occasionally man. When cats kill - there is outrage and people beat, burn, bludgeon the leopard to death - sometimes in revenge, or simply for their wandering into human habitation. As the table above shows, leopards killed by villagers are also on the increase.

Unfortunately, the leopard enjoys no political patronage, public opinion has not rallied in its favour - they are perceived as inconvenient, and a threat - and are simply removed. Experts opine that the problem animal must be removed to gain support for the others - however, there is no policy to deal with ‘problem’ leopards.

Permits to hunt ‘maneaters’ are doled out by the forest department, and there is a rush to grab these. Says a senior official, “Usually, the first animal that crosses their path is slain to appease the public. Hunters themselves reckon that they may kill four wrong leopards till the targeted ‘maneater’ is shot.

However, there are solutions: in national parks with good prey base, say in Bandipur, or Gir, where leopards thrive, conflict is negligible.

Stresses Wright, “We have not addressed the conflict issue at all - much like we buried our head in the sand as tigers were being lost to trade. There is a desperate need for a mechanism to deal with leopard conflict. A Conflict Strike Force comprising trained personnel is essential. This must work in tandem with NGOs, initiate dialogue with local people for simple measures to avoid conflict.”

Nor has leopard poaching been dealt with - as the statistics show, poaching is rampant even though the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has been warned. Even as far back as 2005, the Regional Deputy Director (Northern Region) responsible for enforcing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species had sent a note to the MoEF expressing concern at the high level of leopard poaching, warning that, “Such a heavy offtake of animals from the existing leopard population is a matter of serious concern and merits immediate review” but to no avail. In early 2009, the same office in its new avatar as Wildlife Crime Control Bureau sent alerts to Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh to be vigilant - but got on response. The leopards continue to be decimated - and continue on the grim path to extinction.

By- Prerna Singh Bindra

Link - http://www.dailypioneer.com/239192/Leopards-might-beat-tigers-in-extinction-race.html

Lakshminarayanan Nataraja
24-03-2010, 04:48 PM
It is true that the dwindling leopard numbers is least bothered about.

Being more versatile than its elder cousin, leopard comes more in to conflict with man and is eventually weaned off from an area.

In many places where their numbers were good earlier, leopards have become locally extinct.

Leopard is equally charming and it is imperative that they get maximum protection, before they slip away. Their ecological role as a predator can never be replaced.