357 leopards translocated between 2009 and 2016, most in Karnataka: Study

Authorities captured 357 leopards and translocated most of them in Karnataka between 2009 and 2016 citing the battle with people in violation of Union surroundings ministry pointers, a examine by Mysuru-based Nature Conservation Foundation has discovered. The examine cited a questionnaire survey and mentioned 64% of area managers from the forest division have been unaware of the rules and only one.9% adopted them.

The 2011 pointers discourage each the capturing and translocation of leopards as such measures have the potential of accelerating the battle.

The examine, which was revealed within the Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy final month, concluded the ministry’s pointers had no influence at the very least in Karnataka. It has referred to as for extra engagement with area managers, native communities, and the regional media to scale back concern and notion of danger from leopards.

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The consequence of the captures from Karnataka was out there for 314 of the 357 leopards. Of these, 85.4% (268) have been translocated to different forests, 10.8% (34) have been taken in captivity, and three.8% (12) died. Locals killed at the very least 29 out of 268 translocated leopards whereas others have been despatched to protected areas.

The examine discovered the captures elevated by 9.67 yearly from 2009 to 2016 and month-to-month translocations of the so-called drawback leopards elevated threefold in Karnataka throughout this era.

Livestock depredation (38.1%) was cited as the principle purpose for the seize of leopards. Other causes embrace the rescue from snares and wells (15.7%), nervousness prompted as a result of their sightings in human habitations (13.7%), and the leopards getting into human dwellings (10.9%).

The pointers say mere sighting of a leopard within the neighborhood of human habitations doesn’t essentially imply the animal has strayed from a forest and must be captured. They warning that arbitrary removing of leopards may result in elevated battle. The house vacated by a captured animal is taken by one other leopard.

Also Read: Leopard captured in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh, despatched to zoo

The pointers emphasise the main target of battle administration ought to be on long run options like higher sanitation and waste administration to maintain feral pig and canine populations in verify and making leopard proof livestock sheds.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed leopards within the “vulnerable” class. The leopard is a Schedule 1 animal underneath the Wildlife Protection Act, which implies it needs to be supplied absolute safety. The inhabitants of a number of the leopard subspecies has declined by 70% in India, in response to a 2016 examine within the Journal of Zoological Science, even because the species are extremely adaptive carnivores with a diverse food regimen.

Sanjay Gubbi, the examine’s lead writer, mentioned the seize of 357 leopards in an eight-year interval is a big quantity. “Much more awareness regarding the guidelines and engagement with field-level officers is needed to ensure the implementation of the guidelines. We have a federal system and wildlife is on the concurrent list. It should not be a few biologists sitting and developing guidelines. Inputs should be sought from state forest departments and there should be capacity building of field staff,” he mentioned.

Gubbi mentioned it is rather tough to say what occurred to the leopards after they have been translocated. “The process of translocating can be very stressful for leopards. In most cases, leopards do not get the same importance as tigers. They are just dumped and whether they are adapting to the new place is not followed through.”

Gubbi mentioned individuals are turning into much less tolerant of leopards as they haven’t been supplied options to livestock losses. “Often a leopard is translocated just because it has been seen in the vicinity. Leopards are among animals facing very high conflict like elephants. One of the reasons may be that they are expanding their range and moving to areas where they were not there at all.”

Vidya Athreya, a Pune-based wildlife biologist who specialises in leopard-human battle, mentioned leopard seize is rising in Karnataka however not essentially in different states. “That is because, as the authors state, there is no engagement with the different groups of stakeholders which are important to reducing the perception of threat. In Maharashtra, for instance, many areas that had a lot of traps in the past have reduced it a lot, especially Mumbai, because we follow the guidelines, engage with the important stakeholders including the media to bring about the change.”

There was no rapid response to a request for remark from the Karnataka forest division.