Belgaum – Can leopards survive near the cities!!
The conservation efforts of the forest department is showing signs of increased number of Herbivore and carnivore population. Some of these animals in the quest of new territories stray nearby villages and towns which are in close proximity to the jungle. The recent sightings of leopards in chikkodi and Belgaum city is just the beginning of human and animal conflict. The forest department and the locals play an important role in rescue and relief operations by which the wild animals can safely released into their natural habitat.
The recent sightings of leopard in Jadhav nagar in the afternoon was nothing but a quest to search for food. The leopard knows his territory really well which is the reason he was not spotted again and remained elusive. Thanks to the forest department who have laid 4 camera traps in the racecourse at strategic locations.
This is not the first time leopards live in close proximity with humans it has happened in Miramar, Goa which is bustling with humans due to its popularity as a tourist destination. The fully grown leopard was captured safely and released into the wild.
Race course or Golf course is a good hiding place for the leopard. It has thick cover of trees, shrubs and vegetation which acts as good cover for the leopard to remain elusive. It is difficult task to tranquilize the leopard in the race course as it has a good area to escape. In order to rescue it we can rely on the cages deployed by the forest department. They can use pig as a bait for the leopard because the leopard had visited Jadhav nagar to feast on a pig.
The forest department is doing a marvellous job by keeping a strict vigil in the surrounding areas of the golf course. They are working day and night to trap the leopard alive and release it into the wild.
It is the responsibility of general public and media not to disturb them. People should ensure they don’t let their children alone. When adults go out they should go in a group of two and three people until the big cat is rescued.
We tried to look for the elusive leopard from nearby buildings with high end cameras with good zoom capabilities but we could not see any movement. D R Santosh of Facebook friends circle, Abhishek and Avadhut joined me in this quest to spot the cat.
Remember this leopard knows its territory really well and it has been staying here for a while. Hope this big cat is released back to where it belongs.
Article by environmentalist and Naturalist: Mudassar Ternikar