From wilds to urban: Leopard sighting common in cities
From wilds to urban: Leopard sighting common in cities
leopards are being spotted in more cities in India as protected areas have become more crowded with big cats, leopards have always been more urban and social than people think.
The reason for their more frequent sightings is simply India’s growing urban habitations. For instance, Gurugram and Delhi have grown into the Aravallis.
The primary reason that the leopards have left the park is to access easy food. It’s a pattern that is replicated not just in Mumbai, but all over India and Asia.
As cities expand to meet national parks, humans and big cats have merged their living spaces. Humans and leopards co-exist in Mumbai — and one cannot take chances.
The park and several green pockets around it, like the Aarey Milk Colony, Film City, IIT-Bombay are leopard territories, and are spread around 140 sq km. Leopard attacks on people peaked at 25 cases in 2002. Most of these were attributed to leopards who moved from other forest patches into Sanjay Gandhi, a kind of catch-and-dump scheme by local governments for problem animals.
Pranav Chanchani, lead species specialist at WWF-India, said it’s the leopard’s wide dietary repertoire which allows it to exist in semi-urban to urban spaces. “While the species occurs extensively across forests in India, leopards are also abundant along the margins of forests, and in secondary habitats comprising of scrublands, agricultural areas, degraded forests or patchy wilderness areas.”
These human and wild are not always a harmonious relationship, but it’s one that looks set to continue.
However, research indicates that human leopard interactions are common. The Warlis, the indigenous tribes, accept the presence of leopards. They also appear to know about their behaviour.
