Two leopard cubs found in Amroha
Finding cubs of big cats has become routine as leopards have made cane-fields their hide-out, say foresters and wildlife experts
MEERUT Two leopard cubs were found in Gangadaspur village of Amroha district on Wednesday. Forest officials tried to reunite them with their mother but remained unsuccessful and efforts are still underway.
Finding leopard cubs has become routine in different districts of the region, especially Bijnor, Amroha and other nearby areas.
The village where these month-old cubs were found is situated close to Moradabad and wildlife experts believe that their mother might have migrated along side some stream and settled in sugarcane fields before giving birth to the cubs.
Ramesh Chandra, conservator of forests, Moradabad division, said that more than a dozen cubs had been spotted in Bijnor and nearby districts in the mpast few years. He said, “ We first try to reunite them with their mother and after failing, the cubs are sent to the zoo or rehablitation centre after medical examination”.
Chandra said that sugarcane fields had become a safe hide-out for leopards, as a good prey base of wild boar, jackal, rabbits, fawns of blue bulls and adult blue bulls along with stray dogs was available. . “ Such favourable conditions have turned sugarcane fields into a favourable and suitable choice of leopards,” said Chandra.
Wildlife expert Dr Affifullah Khan, member of expert committee on management, effectiveness and evaluation of India’s national parks and sancturies under ministry of environment and forests ( MoEF) said,” Leopards are coming out of the jungle and have started adaptation in agriculture ecosystem. Its a new type of adaptation because of availibility of easy prey and safe hideout”.
He said that forests were shinking and it was a case of range expansion in which leopards were adopting new environment. “ It is not happening only in the Gangetic basin but pan -India, including Gujarat and Maharashtra,” he said.
Khan explained that the country needed more effective and pragmatic approach to deal with this growing menace of leopards and the its was already visible in Garhwal region of Uttarakhand and Bijnor district of west UP where multiple cases of leopard- human conflicts were reported in recent years.
In Bijnor district, 18 people, including children and women, died in leopard attacks this year and more than 30 people were injured. It led to a brouhaha in the district as farmer organisations came out on roads and wildlife department was compelled to declare two leopards maneaters. Meanwhile, more than a dozen leopards were caged and sent to zoos and national parks but the problem persists.
Conservator Chandra saud that as per an estimate, Bijnor district had no less than 300 leopards and many of them had made sugarcane fields their hideouts and were spreading to adjoining areas from there.