NEWSLINK: Man is not leopard’s normal prey

With several instances of leopards in human settlements and attacks on humans in recent times, deputy conservator of forests (DCF) West, Shivaji Phule talked with Sumita Sarkar to clear myths about this big cat. Incidents of leopards attacking people are being reported more frequently. What causes that? The natural habitat of leopards is forest. Forest cover has reduced. Whatever encroachment was there has been regularised. There are patches of human settlement, like honeycombs, with little scope for isolated animal habitats.

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