The Forest Department in India recently approved plans to monitor six regional leopards with GPS tracking devices in order to better understand the wild cats and help avoid human-leopard conflict. It is not uncommon for leopards to come in contact with humans. Leopards are the most adaptable wild cats, which means that they aren’t afraid to wander into developed areas populated by humans. By tracking leopards, researchers hope to find better ways to deter the cats from threatening humans and livestock.
According to a secondary study, which took place from January 2008 to September 2013, there were instances of human-leopard conflict in 214 villages and 25 districts in the state of Karnataka during this period. The Mysore, Udupi, Hassan and Tumkur districts had the highest level of conflict between humans and leopards. In Karnataka, leopards can be found in forests, rocky habitats, farmland and even urban areas. An increase in human-leopard conflict means danger to the leopards as well as danger to humans, pets and livestock.
No leopards have currently been chosen for the GPS tracking experiment. According to Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) G.S. Prabhu, the next six leopards to that are captured by the Forest Department for wandering into human settlements will be equipped with GPS collars for tracking. The leopards will be tracked for two years, and the study will be managed by Sanjay Gubbi from the Nature Conservation Foundation.
In order to mitigate human-leopard conflict, it is essential that researchers gain more understanding of the different factors that cause leopards to enter human-populated areas. During the two-year study, researchers will also experiment with the efficacy of moving leopard populations away from human settlements. With more information on these fascinating wild cats, hopefully we can reduce human-leopard conflicts.
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Six Leopards To Be Tracked With GPS In India
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