Overly fearful humans told to give hill leopards their space
Although no humans have been killed as yet, tea plantation workers in the central hills have raised the alarm — and false alarms— over leopards in their midst.
The endangered Sri Lankan animal’s central hills territory is being encroached on by humans who are setting up homes, cultivating crops and raising animals.
Environmentalists are urging caution against overreacting against the apex predator.
As many as 51 complaints, including false alarms, have been made by people in Nallathanniya, and Hakkgala wildlife range areas in the Nuwara Eliya district.
Supun Lahiru, environmentalist of the Biodiversity Conservation and Research Circle, said that people have made the leopard an issue due to unnecessary fears and a lack of knowledge.
He urged to the media to responsibly report incidents, because fearful people can portray a dangerous picture of leopards.
“If leopards are portrayed as a threat, then people will kill them and drive the elusive big cat to extinction,” he warned.
Wildlife rangers agree that estate owners are illegally encroaching on the leopard’s turf.
A wildlife ranger in Nallathanni, Prabash Karunathilake said that in his range, there have been 25 complaints from 12 estates so far. Most are about leopard sightings while a few are about dogs being killed or attacked by leopards.
Rumours are spreading although no one has been killed by a leopard, yet.
“There are no “man- eater” leopards in the hills.
Most leopards avoid people and are only hunting the increased stray dog population,’’ he said.
Mr Karunathilake said the leopards sighting have increased with humans encroaching on forests and the extending estate plantations into pockets of woodland.
Because of poaching by humans, prey such as Sambar deer and wild boar have become scarce in the woodlands and leopards are hunting other prey, perhaps even stray dogs.
He said there are few incidents of leopards attacking people but all the attacks have happened because people had followed the animal or had tried to chase an animal away while it was feeding.
He explained that one such incident happened last year when seven estate workers tried to save a dog attacked by a leopard at Panmure Estate in Dickoya, Hatton.
“People must not corner a leopard and try to take away its meal, even domestic cats and dogs would defend their meals. A leopard could do fatal damage if it decides to defend itself.’’
The park warden of Galway’s Land National Park M G Vimalaratne said it is difficult to educate the estate workers about animal behaviour. Language is a major barrier.
Fears among estate workers mean that they are even capturing rusty spotted cats (wild cats), fishing cats, and even domestic cats and kittens and handing them over for relocation.
He rejects relocation as a solution. If one big cat’s territory becomes vacant another will take its place and extend its territory.
The Nuwara Eliya District Secretary Rohana Pushpakumara said he had been receiving complaints of leopard sightings, since taking over duties eight months back.
He said that once a leopard roaming in Pidurutalaga reserve moved into Galways Land national park to the east of Nuwara Eliya city. There was even video footage of a leopard hunting dogs.
He said there were complaints from Hatton residents as well.
Meanwhile, an employee of the Dickoya Estate tea plantation at Dunbar division, Gopal Krishnasamy, said there had been sightings of leopards in the estate, even in the daytime.
“The last leopard sighting was two months ago, but every night the tea plantation employees’ sleep in fear,’’ he said. They hear dogs barking, and sometimes hear them yelping before they are killed and dragged away by leopards, he said.
Mr Krishnasamy added that the leopards even visit garbage dumping areas to feed on chicken skins and fish bones.
“I am a supervisor in the estate. There are days when employees refuse to go to work. Sometimes they even ask for a salary raise for risking their lives at work,’’ he said.
At night, no one dares to leave home. “We complain to the estate management, they call the wildlife officials and tell them to set up traps but during the most recent incident, the leopard was able to avoid the trap,” he said.
He said sometimes they themselves and villagers make loud noises, use fertiliser spraying machines and scan the tea estates to drive away the leopards by themselves before they are attacked.
Meanwhile, the deputy minister of Sustainable Development, Wildlife and Re gional Development, Pa l i t h a Thewarapperuma, acknowledged the problem in the hills.
He blamed the Department of Wildlife Conservation for not preparing a national policy on humans and animals. “These policies should have come decades earlier. It they did, these problems would not have occurred,” he said.
“Department officials must contain the leopards in a protected area and also provide the animals their prey and water within that area.
But to do that the officials must know the number of animals in the area. The officials have failed to do that too, and they are unaware of the number of leopards,” he said.
Wildlife officials also need equipment and vehicles, but should also be told not to slacken off if they are provided with equipment, he said.
He promised he will personally look into the matter, visit the areas and urge wildlife officers to educate the people on the importance of the leopard, while addressing human concerns.