Congress MLC Dinesh Guligowda has said that Deputy Conservator of Forests Saurabh Kumar has told him that the recently constituted task force on leopards has held discussions with forest officials of Gujarat’s Gir and Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai and plans to deal with them. Input is requested. Leopard-human conflict.
In a press statement, the MLC said that recent leopard attacks on humans in Mysore and Mandya districts have created a constant fear among the villagers who are witnessing such attacks on people and domestic animals.
Leopard attacks have been observed in KR Pet, Maddur, Melkote, Malavalli and Nagamangala taluks. Cattle, sheep, goats and dogs are being killed by the leopard, causing concern among farmers and local people. He suggested that awareness should be created among the people about the steps taken by the task force to reduce the fear of the people.
The MLC said that wherever necessary cages should be deployed to capture leopards and added that the task force has to be active for the safety of humans and domestic animals.
Shri Guligowda discussed with the DCF the reasons for the increasing human-leopard conflict in Mandya and the steps taken so far.
The DCF informed the MLC that leopards take shelter in sugarcane fields during the breeding season. Wild cats are attacking farmers during harvesting. Apart from the increase in the population of dogs and pigs, unscientific disposal of meat waste in cities is the main reason for leopards straying into urban areas. Leopards are increasingly found in urban areas as they come in search of prey like dogs.
The state government announced the formation of a leopard task force to deal with the increasing human-leopard conflict, especially in the South Karnataka region.
A 24 x 7 helpline has also been started on 31st January. The Task Force is headed by DCF, Mysore Circle. People can call the helpline 9481996026 Seeking help on seeing leopard. “I myself called the helpline once. It is working. Three to four calls are coming in a day. People should not panic on seeing the leopard but should call the control room for help.
Nanjangud, HD Kote, Sargur, T. Narsipur, Mandya, Pandavapura, Nagamangala and surrounding areas are facing conflict. The main reason for the formation of the task force was the death of four people due to leopard attack since October in T Narasipura taluk of Mysuru.
Deputy Conservator of Forests, Wildlife, Mysore Circle heads the task force, while it consists of 58 personnel with Conservator of Forests, Mysore Circle supervising its activities. The control room of the task force has been set up at Aranya Bhavan and it will function 24×7.