Leopards in search of food on the prowl in streets of Gujarat

Leopards in Gujarat have taken to the streets in search of food and are coming exceedingly close to human settlements. A pre-census estimation by the forest department has indicated a 50% rise in leopard count in revenue areas, namely human settlements near cities and big towns of Gujarat.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 12 May 2016.

As per the leopard census of 2011, there were 1,160 big cats in the state out of which 290 or a quarter were spotted in revenue areas. The pre-census estimates ahead of Census 2016 that is to take place between May 20-22 has pegged a 50% rise. A rough estimate is a count of between 1,350 and 1,400 and, out of these, 450-odd are believed to be living outside forest areas closer to human habitat.
Areas like Amreli in Saurashtra and Narmada and Bharuch in south Gujarat have much greater leopard density in revenue areas. This growth in revenue areas could translate into increase in incidents of man-animal conflict in future. At present, there is an average of one leopard attack once in three days in the state. In 2015-16, 12 persons were killed and 107 attacked by leopards.
In the opinion of a National Board of Wildlife member and expert on big cats, leopards are moving out of sanctuaries in search of food and territory. Gir forest has a rich prey base of deer, rabbits, cheetal and other small animals. However, the negligible ungulate population in other sanctuaries is forcing these leopards to move closer to human habitats in search of prey, especially dogs.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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