Where leopards await human compassion.

    The lack of awareness about a traditionally peace-loving species and inadequate safeguards to protect their natural habitats and corridors are posing a serious threat to the continued survival of leopards in and around the city of Guwahati. Ratna Bharali Talukdar reports.

20 March 2015 -

Leopards, traditionally living in Guwahati city, are now afraid to let out their territorial roar. The habitats of this big cat species are no longer their own, but have been usurped by humans. Peace-loving animals, the leopards in the city are trying their best however to avoid a situation of conflict and co-exist peacefully with the residents of a city that has been growing in the most unplanned and haphazard of ways.

Unfortunately, panic among city residents at the mere sight of a leopard, mostly triggered by wrong perception and wrong media projections of this peace-loving animal as a ferocious beast, is posing a grave threat to its existence and coming in the way of a happy co-existence.

Animal lovers and wildlife experts have already pressed the alarm bell and say that it is high time to draw up an immediate and strategic plan of action, so that this unique species can be protected in and around the city that has expanded rapidly, destroying their indigenous habitats in the hilly terrains and foothills.

A male adult leopard captured from Maligaon area in Guwahati in a severely wounded condition; it eventually died in the zoo.
           An alarming number of 11 leopards, sighted in different human settlements in Guwahati, were captured last year and in January 2015 by the Department of Forest and Environment and subsequently rehabilitated in the Assam State Zoo, Guwahati that is being seen as an alternative space for their survival. However, that is a certainly not an alternative that is in the best interests of the species.

“In the Zoo, we have limited space to provide a home for big-cats. It has the provision to accommodate only 7-8 leopards, whereas we have to accommodate 22 leopards now, in a congested space, following all the recent instances of capture,” says Chandan Bora, the Divisional Forest Officer of the Zoo.

Understanding the leopards of Guwahati

The city of Guwahati, which is also considered the gateway to northeast India, has a permanent population of 9.63 lakh according to the 2011 Census. The city has a total municipal area of 216 square kilometres. Apart from its permanent population, it also accommodates a large number by way of a floating population that daily visits the city for different purposes. The Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority has an administered area of 264 square kilometres.

It is not a very distant past when the green belts of Guwahati city covering hills and plains were considered to be among the safest places and corridors for the big cats, which traditionally prefer to live near human habitations. Ten notified Reserve Forests in and around the city used to support plenty of space for flourishing of floral and faunal diversity.

These include South Kalapahar (70 hectare), Fatasil (670 hectare), Jalukbari (97.70 hectare), Gotanagar (175 hectare), Hengerabari (628 hectare), Sarania (7.99 hectare), Garhbhanga  (18,860.58 hectare), Rani (4,370 hectare)  Amsang  (7,864 hectare) and Deepor Beel, which is a large  natural water body with forest cover with and area of 4.14 sq km.

Pic: UB Photos

Bibhab Talukdar, Secretary General of Aaranyak, an organisation dedicated to work for wildlife management and conservation, is of the opinion that a general curfew should be announced by the district administration for a while in the locality where a leopard is trapped: to restrain people’s movement, to prevent its stress, trauma and possible attack arising out of such a situation.

While citizens create a shrill ruckus whenever a leopard is sighted, there has not been a single incident of leopards attacking a human being, or even taking away their pets. They only hunt the stray dogs or unattended goats as prey, clearly indicating that they are happy to maintain a peaceful co-existence with human life in the city. On a single occasion alone in November last year, when a leopard was trapped in a cage in Gauhati University near Jalukbari Reserve Forest, the horrified animal attacked a forest official as the latter came very close to it. However, it was not a fatal incident.

 “Leopards are territorial animals, live in contiguous habitat and need sufficient space.  Although they prefer to live near human habitations, they do not disturb human life, and take away animals very rarely, only when there is an acute dearth of prey.  In fact, the leopard has a wide-ranging prey base including barking deer, monkeys, birds, stray dogs, rats and even frogs. They have a positive role in maintaining bio-diversity,” says Professor Prasanta Kumar Saikia at the Department of Zoology of Gauhati University.    

The food-chain of the species, however, is closely related to human settlements. Their prey base includes among other things small cat families such as the civet cat, lesser cat and others that in turn depend on small animals and birds reared by humans. In cities, stray dogs form the leopard’s favourite prey due to the ease of capture.

Professor Saikia is of the opinion that an effective awareness drive for citizens would help improve the situation and make the city wildlife friendly city. For example, it should be known that leopards tend to shift their calves every 15 days to protect them from other animals. During this period, a mother may stray into human habitation in search of easy prey. If the mother is trapped, there is every possibility that her calves will die, he points out. Erecting high fencing or boundary walls do not help in preventing leopards from entering human habitation, as they are good climbers too.

Saikia also elaborates on two unfortunate experiences that he encountered recently within the boundaries of the Gauhati University itself. The hills, which are adjacent to this University and extend up to Assam Engineering College, both in the Jalukbari area, have traditionally provided safe homes for this unique species. However, during November last year, night movements of two sub-adults who tried to come out in search of new territory through their corridor were reported.

“The news spread immediately, creating panic and clamour among the students and their parents. This led the university authorities to seek help from the Department of Environment and Forests, which subsequently trapped one of them. The other died as it tried to cross the road towards Tetelia area of Gotanagar Reserve Forest and was hit by fast moving vehicles. As I stay in a quarter, I had had the opportunity to see both of them moving here and there during nights, and it gave me immense pleasure. They were never harmful to us,” recalls the professor.

The one trapped and rehabilitated in the zoo, also died eventually due to “traumatic injury”. Saikia insists on protecting these corridors at any cost by making sufficient arrangements to avoid such unfortunate events.

Far from having safeguards in place, the forest and environment department is yet to come out with a systematic survey to figure out the actual size and population of big cats and other wildlife species in the vicinity of the capital city. The department, however, is planning to carry out an extensive survey using camera traps. Meanwhile, a steering group has been formed for carrying out a ‘sign survey’ to know more about leopard concentration from basic indications; this is likely to begin as soon as the rainy season arrives.  

                     
                             Laudable efforts of Gauhati University.