JORHAT, Aug 12 – Man-leopard conflict is increasing in Jorhat district leading to a decrease in the number of the species in the region. Now the conservation of the animal is the greatest challenge in front of the Forest Department.
As many as 26 leopards got killed in the hands of men during the last seven years only in Jorhat district. In 2003, three leopards were killed in Kakajan Tea Estate. In 2004 three were killed in Kari Gaon, Fechual Tea Estate, Chenijan Tea Estate and Veleuguri village. In 2005 one leopard was killed in Melent Tea Estate. In 2006 three were killed in Nagajuli, Kaliapani TE and Lahing Meleng Gaon. In 2007 the number increased to five. Among them one got killed in Tinikunia, Meleng TE, one in Fishery Farm, Titabar, one at Mohbondha, one in Ghotoka, and another in Jalukanibari. In 2008 eight leopards were killed in the district. Among these one at Jagduar, one died at Chinatoli, one at Teok, one at Namgarumora, one at Karigaon, one at Gajpuria, one at Teagarden temple campus, Boishahabi, and another are on no. NH-37 near Chenijan. Three leopards were killed at Mariani, Duliagaon, Garmur and Chakalating in this year till date. On the other hand 32 numbers of leopards were caged by the forest department during the last 7 years.
It is worthy of mention that 23 out of 26 leopards were killed in the tea garden areas. Forest department sources said that the leopards normally live in the adjacent forest of the tea garden and villages and depend on the domestic cattle of the villagers. Earlier there were abundant animals for the food of the leopards in the forests. But due to deforestation there was severe scarcity of such smaller animals due to which they come out to hunt domestic animals. Thus the man-leopard conflict becomes inevitable in some rural areas of the district.
The forest department often cages leopards in various parts of the district to protect the villagers. But it is not the permanent solution of the problem. The leopards coming out from the forest now a days become the cause of terror to the people of these areas.
Leopards are included in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, that gives them legal protection. But unlike tigers, their slaughter hardly draws the same sort of outcry. As per official statistics, there were about 11,000 leopards in India in January 2008. In comparison, an estimated 1,411 tigers were alive during the same period. But the rate of leopard killing is far higher than the tiger. A statistic shows that over 3,000 leopards were killed between 1994-2008.
The rehabilitation of the captured leopards is also another facet of the same problem. The captured carnivores were taken to the nearby reserve forests to set them free there. But these animals often come out from the jungles in search of food according to their earlier habit.
Moreover, when a leopard is caged and shifted to a reserve forest the unknown fact is whether it has young ones in the area or not. Sometimes the young ones may even die if its parents are shifted to other places before they grow up.
In India, three major wildlife species are traded illegally: tiger, leopard and otter. Sources say China and South-East Asian countries are their biggest market. But fortunately the poaching of the big cats for the clandestine market products has still not dug its roots in the State. Therefore, the reserve forests of Assam should be designed to protect the animal so that they will not be out of sight in the near future.
