Growing leopard attacks in urban pockets of U’khand cause concern
In response to the recent leopard attacks on two children within a week, the forest department has increased its alert status.
With the growing population of leopard in Uttarakhand, a prominent state known for its abundant wildlife, there has been a proportional increase in incidents of their encroachment and attacks in densely populated areas.
Leopard-related incidents that were once isolated incidents and were usually confined to rural areas are now spreading to residential areas. In response to the recent leopard attacks on two children within a week, the forest department has increased its alert status.
Chief wildlife warden Dr Sameer Sinha told this newspaper, “In view of the rapidly changing circumstances, a comprehensive work plan has been prepared”.
In order to take strict orders given by the Chief Minister in this direction, the State Forest Chief has directed all DFOs to take precautionary steps in their respective areas and conduct awareness campaigns on first priority.
Announcements are being made through loudspeakers in all potentially sensitive areas of the capital. On the other hand, Dr Sinha also advised the public to refrain from disseminating unchecked and rumor-mongering content about leopards on social media platforms.
According to the information received, Chief Conservator of Forest Anup Malik held a meeting with all the Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs) on Tuesday. During the meeting, he instructed them to develop a new strategy to reduce human-wildlife conflicts.
Furthermore, all DFOs were told to promptly tackle this issue. It is noteworthy that in the wake of two leopard attacks in Dehradun within twenty days, both the police and forest department are on high alert. The Rajpur and Raipur police stations are using loudspeakers on patrol vehicles to notify residents.
Last week, a tragic incident occurred in Nanakmatta, where a four-year-old boy was fatally attacked by a leopard while playing in a field as his mother was harvesting fodder nearby. The distressing event unfolded as the mother and other women who were engaged in cutting fodder raised an alarm upon witnessing the attack.
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