HP to conduct survey to ascertain leopard population

SHIMLA: The wildlife wing of the forest department in Himachal Pradesh has decided to conduct a statewide survey to ascertain the number of leopards. This comes in the backdrop of the rising cases of human-animal conflict in the state.

In 2016-2017, eight people were injured and one killed in attacks by leopard. The rise in humananimal conflict was also revealed in a 2016 study on human-leopard interactions in Himachal Pradesh, conducted by the state wildlife wing and the Wildlife Conservation Society India.

The study revealed that 31 people were killed and 344 injured by leopards between 2004 and 2015.

Speaking about the proposed survey, chief wildlife warden RC Kang said, “We will not only survey leopards but also assess the population of herbivore animals in the areas where human-leopard conflict is high. The survey will help us understand whether population of leopards has increased in the state.”

Experts from the Wildlife Institute of India will assist the forest department in the survey which is expected to be completed by June 2018. The last leopard survey was conducted in 2004 and it was estimated that there were 785, including 24 in captivity, in the state.

The 2016 study also stated that leopards attacks are more prominent in Hamirpur, Mandi and Bilaspur districts. Furthermore, leopards have not only attacked human living close to protected areas, but also outside forested areas. It is observed that attacks on humans by leopards increase during winter when the big cats descend to lower altitudes in search of prey. Under the study, a team of wildlife experts also identified the junction between Bilaspur, Hamirpur and Mandi districts as the hotspot for attacks.