Updated: Jan 13, 2015 04:12 IST
Leopards are fast losing the battle of survival in Madhya Pradesh. More than 140 leopards died in the period between 2008 and 2013, as per information accessed under the Right to Information Act.
Wildlife experts feel that given the increasing instances of man-animal conflict, these spotted cats will soon vanish from the forests in the state. Unlike the attention for tiger conservation, leopards do not enjoy the same status from various stakeholders.
Thirty-one leopards died in the last one year alone, the experts said, adding that the maximum deaths (43) were reported in 2011. "No official countrywide population estimate is available. However, within the 17 tiger bearing states of India, the leopard occupies an area of around 1,74,066 km2, nearly double the area occupied by the tiger," the WWF-India says on its website.
It is not just villages where these predators are straying into. There have been rise in sighting of leopard in urban spaces like Indore, Jabalpur and outskirts of Bhopal.
Last Wednesday, a CCTV captured the footage of a stray leopard in Narsinghpur district. Last month, residents of Indore spend sleepless nights after a spotted cat was said to have strayed into a residential area. Leopard sightings are also being reported in Jabalpur from last few days.
No comments:
Post a Comment