#dnaEdit: Save the leopard

Unlike its more illustrious feline cousin, the leopard in India doesn’t enjoy an exalted status. Its reputation has been marred by increasing incidence of man-animal conflict because of its nocturnal forays into human settlements. There is a strong belief in certain quarters that the leopard population has gone up manifold, and that they pose a serious threat to people living on the periphery of forests. The latest study, conducted over four years by three wildlife experts, purports to bust the myth of a spike in numbers. It contends that there has been about 80% decrease in the leopard population over the last 100 years. The study has factored in their shrinking habitats and a diminishing prey range as well as the genetic data sourced from faecal samples. The biggest impediment to arriving at a ballpark figure is the absence of an all-India study on leopard enumeration, though several states have carried out their own surveys.

There is, no doubt, that the leopard has been shortchanged. It has to play second fiddle to the tiger and survive without sustained, systematic efforts towards its conservation. Where tigers and leopards share the same territory, the protection programmes for the former are extended to the latter. But those have proved to be inadequate for the spotted cats. Since the tiger is now a celebrity of sorts, poachers, have turned their attention to leopards.

Curiously, this study is at odds with earlier findings. For example, between 2005 and 2008, the Uttarakhand forest department saw a jump in leopard population from 2,105 to 2,335. The department will undertake another study this year in June, to be conducted in three phases, to arrive at the latest figures. Another study conducted in Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra showed an alarming concentration of leopards — 4.8 per 100 sq km — in densely populated human settlements. In Mumbai’s Aarey colony, bordering the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, spotting leopards has become commonplace and residents live in terror of the carnivore.

But, why blame the spotted cat when human encroachment has eaten into its hunting ground and home? A study carried out by the Himachal Pradesh forest department has found that leopards are scared of human beings, though they can adapt themselves to live in close proximity with people. A classic example of man-leopard existing in harmony can be found in Maharashtra’s Sangamner region — up to six leopards per 100 sq km — that cultivates sugarcane. The tall sugarcane plants provide them cover to hunt, and the farmers don’t mind their presence.

Leopards live close to villages so that they can prey on dogs and cattle as the latest study highlights their shrinking prey-base. Moreover, attacking humans can be a result of animosity towards people. When leopards are captured, it is the treatment meted out to them — with onlookers yelling, poking them with sticks, pulling their tails — that leaves a lasting impression on the animals.

Let’s face it: leopards are in grave danger from human beings, and it’s seldom the other way round. The authorities need to rethink their conservation practices to deal with the presence of these cats close to human settlements. And, regardless of what officials say, poaching poses a serious threat. According to Samrat Mondal, of the Wildlife Institute of India, one of the three researchers of the latest study on shrinking leopard population, “Around 4,000 body parts and bones of leopards were recovered between 1994-2013, compared to 1,000 body parts of tigers.” This bit of information makes the fate of the leopards amply clear.