Major challenge of managing leopard menace

BANGALORE: The increasing leopard menace rising the number of its death in the state is not just ailing farmers, but managing leopards is becoming a challenging task for the Forest Department, especially around the Bangalore-Mysore circle. The Department is in need of a good strategy for the protection and conservation of leopards, said, M H Swaminath, additional principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife). Unlike the tiger population, the country does not have population census for leopards. The reason being, most of these leopards are outside the protected area. They take shelter around small hillocks, sugarcane fields close to human habitat.“When we spot a leopard cub, we first try to unite it with its mother, and in the meantime we have to ensure that they are untouched and not raised by human hands. Secondly, if the mother does not accept the cub or the mother is untracable, then we send the cub to a National Park. But again the question here is, how many such cubs can be raised in National Parks,” he added.  Swaminath says, “As per a rough estimation, Karnataka has about 6,000 leopards. Lleopard attacks, and its death have been constant.” “In addition to this, much to the worry of farmers, about three leopards had strayed into Turuvekere taluk in Tumkur and killed about 15 donkeys in three separate incidents within a span of two weeks in September,” he added. Meanwhile, there were several deaths of leopards around human habitat and along the roads in the recent past. He said, “This year itself two leopards were killed in a road accident on NICE road between Bannerghatta Road and Kanakapura Cross in February and March.” As per records of the Forest Department, there were 27 leopard deaths reported from across the state in 2010-11, majority of them from Mysore (five) and Bangalore (seven) circles. This year there have been 16 leopard deaths, with six deaths from Mysore, Hunsur and Bandipur. The Department is on a constant lookout for means to tackle the menace. He said, “We are planning to get in touch with the Mysore Municipal Corporation so that they take measures to control the number of stray dogs in human habitat as they attract wild cats. Also, road safety measures are a must. Most of these new roads along Bangalore-Mysore pass through animal corridors along forests.”