From Toddy cat and Porcupine to Tigers and Leopards, wildlife invasions in towns and cities around the district have drawn increasing attention in recent years. For those not used to seeing wild animals lurking in their neighborhoods, the invasion may seem sudden and unexpected.
But wildlife has in fact been creeping ever closer to humans—or, more accurately, human communities have been pushing further and further into wildlife habitat. And with few natural areas left to which they can retreat, growing numbers of wild animals are taking their chances in our towns and cities.
Cities and outlying residential areas have much to offer wildlife, including an abundance of food, which can be found in gardens and poorly secured trash containers. Wild animals come because they have nowhere else to go, having been squeezed out of their native habitats by land development or natural disaster.
Out of all the invasions, Leopard attacks are the most frequent in the district. In many instances, hunger and the opportunity for an easy meal brings these wild cats into the backyards. There are several instances when stray dogs in the village or a domestic animal have proved to be easy meals for these leopards.
Earlier these attacks were limited to animals but in the year 2014, a man was critically injured in a leopard attack at Kukkehalli village in Perdoor, and the plight there on continued. Several cases of human attack have increased since then, however several leopards also have lost their lives in the fight of hunger.
G. Sheena Kottari, Assistant Conservator of Forests, Mobile Forest Squad explaining the scenario says that leopards generally avoid humans, they tolerate proximity to humans better than any other animal still they are forced to come to human, it’s because of rapid urbanization, shrinking leopard habitat and growing human populations.
Dr N A Madhyastha, Renowned Environmental Biologist from Udupi sharing his opinion said that leopards have started appearing in villages and cities! It is simply because we have invaded their territory. There are other reasons as well.
The forests fringes are opened up and they lost their privacy. The food in their natural habitats is not available. So the only way to find food is near human habitat.
It is necessary to develop a sanctuary for leopards; otherwise they would disappear much earlier than tigers or elephants! Whenever leopards are spotted it is necessary to drive them back to their habitat rather than catching and sending them to the zoos. Sensitizing people about the importance of these beautiful wild animals is equally important, he added.
Leopard bereavement cases listed in the year – 2014
January 2014: A Male leopard, which strayed into a village, got entangled in an old trap laid for wild boars and died in Kudi village near Hiriyadka. Before Forest Officials could get any help to the 7 to 8 year old wild cat, it lost its life.
February 2014: In an incident 2.5 years old wild cat lost life at Amrakallu, Kundapur. A leopard’s corpse was found at an electric pole. Forest officials said that while chasing a prey it climbed the pole and got electrocuted and died.
April 2014: Leopard created a big fuss when the students and staff at Manipal University located it in the campus. In the process of capturing it, the leopard hid itself in one of the quarter’s bathroom. The forest officials removed the roof tiles of the bathroom and chased the leopard into the trap and then it was then put into a cage and released into Kudremukh National Park.
July 2014: In the month of July 2 cases were filed –in one a case, a Leopard fell in to the well at Yermady in Havanje village in the night hours. Next day morning the owner of the well found the leopard and informed the local forest guard. After rescuing, the Forest Department suggested that the wildcat be let free, however the villagers denied demanded that the leopard be taken to Kudremukh National Park.
In another case leopard that strayed into inhabited land in search of food fell into an open well near Karavalu – Marne. The resident lady found leopard fallen inside the well. Udupi reserve forest team and Manipal police rescued operation the wild cat and it managed to escape into the forest.
August 2014: A Leopard accidentally fell into a well at Yermady in Havanje village. The leopard was rescued by forest officials in a two-hour long operation, and then released into the Kudremukh National Park.
However there are also reports that state that these wild animals have lost their lives during these rescue operations. While we focus on how many humans died in theses attack, no one thinks about the life of these wild cats, their proximity, the adverse effect on their habitat and so on.
We can only hope that there would be more coordination among wildlife biologists, government institutions and the common man, said Karnataka State Wildlife Board member Surya N.R. Addoor over a recent issue of tiger killing in a letter to Minister for Forests, Environment and Ecology, B. Ramanath Rai.
Mr. Surya said while thousands of people got killed in road accidents, people neither stopped using vehicles nor abandoned the vehicle that killed people. Even people involved in killing would be freed for lack of evidence. “However, when it comes to a wild animal and the error that it may make, we make a hue and cry and demand its extinction for no fault of it,” he regretted.
