Poaching behind 30 per cent of leopard deaths

A Total of 614 leopards died across India in 2021 with Maharashtra accounting for the most number of casualties at 178 data compiled by a nonprofit has found While about 30 per cent of the deaths were caused by poachers 93 big cats became victims of roadkill Conservationists say the government should plan roads and train lines keeping in the mind the movement of wild animalsAs per the data compiled by NGO Wildlife Protection Society of India Madhya Pradesh saw 74 leopard deaths after Maharashtra followed by 72 in UttarakhandCiting the death of 93 leopards due to vehicles and trains last year the study said linear infrastructure poses a grave threat to wildlife It says mitigation measures must be put in place while implementing road and rail projects passing through or close to wildlife sanctuaries forests and national parksTito Joseph programme manager of the NGO said ldquoAnalysis shows that around 30 per cent of leopard deaths are the result of poaching This can be stopped only by strict enforcement and coordination of various enforcement agencies Another 93 leopards have died in road and train accidents the existing guidelines must be strictly followed during infrastructure developmentrdquoWildlife conservationist Kedar Gore from The Corbett Foundation said the deaths due to poaching are only reported data and the actual number could be much higherldquoMaharashtra accounts for almost 30 per cent leopard mortality in the country This is very high and needs to be addressed on a priority basisrdquoGore said leopards are highly adaptable and can be seen in city and village outskirts sugarcane fields scrub and Lantanainfested areas apart from forests They also thrive on a variety of including dogs livestock and poultry which puts them in conflict with humans quite often he saidldquoBetter coordination with the government agencies to clear the garbage neuter freeranging dogs providing immediate compensation for depredation provide underpasses below roads and railway lines passing through wilderness areas covering all open wells next to forest areas and above all a highly efficient surveillance system of the enforcement agencies to control and prevent poaching and retaliatory killings of these majestic cats is the need of the hourrdquo Gore saidAs per the study there have been 120 seizures of body parts while 62 leopards were poached A total of 216 leopards were found dead of which 31 were killed by villagers and 9 were shot dead by forest officials following mananimal conflictsSarosh Lodhi cofounder of CLaW an organisation dedicated to wildlife and a conservation photographer said ldquoLeopards are paying the price of being highly adaptable species The current trends indicate leopards falling in wells dying on roads getting poached etc Year after year we see a high number of leopard mortality If we donrsquot have a focused approach towards saving the spotted felines someday we will wake up to the shock of losing the vulnerable speciesrdquoLeopard deaths in 2021Andhra Pradesh 5Assam 10Bihar 1Chandigarh 1Chhattisgarh 26Delhi 2Goa 1Gujarat 18Haryana 3Himachal Pradesh 22Jammu amp Kashmir 22Jharkhand 1Karnataka 24Kerala 2Madhya Pradesh 74Maharashtra 178Odisha 6Rajasthan 50Tamil Nadu 17Telangana 4Uttar Pradesh 26Uttarakhand 72West Bengal 19Total leopard deaths614This number includes poaching seizure of body parts and other mortalitiesHow the big cats diedSeizure amp Poaching 182 Found Dead 216Killed by villagers 31Shot by forest officials 9Killed in rdtrain mishaps 93Died during rescue opstreatment 12Killed by other animals 14Infighting 50Accidental electrocution 7