Animal size, forest cover, human presence: A study uncovers how leopards hunt in fringe areas
The big cat is remarkably adaptable and region-specific studies can provide insights into protecting livestock and lives.
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The forests of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand host a plethora of biodiversity, like the golden jackal, sambar, barking deer, rhesus macaque, nilgai and elephants. Fed by the Ganga river, this moist deciduous forest has a thick canopy of sal and sheesham trees. On the outskirts lie smaller patches of reserve forests. Rural settlements and farmlands of sugarcane, mango and poplar also pepper the landscape. This mosaic is also home to the leopard.
As national leopard numbers rise (from 12,852 in 2018 to 13,874 in 2022) and infrastructure development continues, human and leopard spaces are increasingly overlapping in India. Rajaji Tiger Reserve is no exception. This remarkably adaptable cat falls into conflict situations with humans frequently as it navigates human-occupied areas and feed on a wide range of species, including domesticated livestock.
Livestock depredation is a concern for farming communities as they suffer significant economic losses. About 100 km north of Rajaji Tiger Reserve in the Corbett Tiger Reserve, 8,365 livestock depredation incidents were documented from 2006-2015. Leopards were second only to tigers, causing approximately 263 kills.
In this scenario, it is becoming crucial to map the risk of attack on livestock, as done by one recent study along the southern boundary of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve.
