Toll from leopard kills near Rajaji rises to 22

DEHRADUN: Leopard killed one more person in the buffer zone of Rajaji Tiger Reserve on Wednesday, bringing the total mortalities to 22 in the last 4 years even as the forest department has hunted down one big cat and relocated eight more to control human-leopard conflict.

The latest kill happened in Khandgaon in Raiwala area, the 24 sq-km vulnerable patch, home to nearly 15 prowling leopards. Of these 8 leopards were rehabilitated some two years ago and one was shot dead on July 11.

Officers informed there are four leopards active in the area, but a 14 year-old male is most dangerous . “This leopard is, particularly, dangerous as the staff and camera traps had spotted the animal close to human habitation,” said a forest department official.

The officers tried to put a bait to capture this notorious leopard, but it didn’t help matters.

“This leopard simply ignored the bait that we had put. We know now that it is not interested in hunting animals. But, it has become a man-eater,” said Rajaji director Sanatan Sonkar who said that traces of blood on its teeth and claws were camera trapped. Remaining leopards in the area are aged 8-14. One of the female aged 8 years is spotted with its cub. “This one too could be dangerous as it is camera trapped near human habitation,” Sonkar added.

There’s no scarcity of prey base in Rajaji. The officers have failed to understand the reason behind leopards turning to maneating and therefore, have roped in researchers of Dehradun based Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to study and monitor the behaviour and killing pattern.

“Human beings are definitely easy prey as compared to wild animals,” Bivash Pandav, scientist at WII said. “Sometimes leopard turn to man-eating because of physical deformity, or old age or even without any reason. Some leopards once taste human flesh then continue hunting people..”

The forest department has installed over 100 cameras at several locations but human habitation on both sides of the national highway is the reason for high casualty, officials said. The worst affected is Khandgaon village, where the incident happened on Friday.

The villagers here were rehabilitated in 1980 from Tehri but since then, they have been living in fear. At least 32 families have vacated the area due to leopard terror and nearly 14 other families are in process of shifting out.