India sees spike in deadly leopard attacks with rising human encroachment on animal habitats

Conservationists say understanding the behaviour of the big cats is key to coexistence.

Forest officials carry a tranquillised leopard that had taken shelter in a construction site. | Photo Credit: Anupam Nath/AP Photo/picture alliance

Earlier in October, a 7-year-old boy from a family of migrant labourers was killed by a leopard when he left the house in Pune, Maharashtra. It was the eighth leopard-related death in the State’s Junnar forest division since March.

In the hill State of Uttarakhand, nine people have died in leopard attacks this year, including a 17-year-old male who was killed while returning home from a game of cricket. The fear of leopard attacks has led to school closures in affected villages.

Rajasthan, particularly in the Udaipur and Rajsamand districts, recorded 10 deaths as a result of leopard attacks. And in Karnataka, leopards in several districts have been attacking dogs. The attacks in regions across India correspond with a rise in the country’s leopard population. According to estimates from the Ministry of Forests and Environment, India’s leopard population numbers is around 13,800.

Urban development and encroachment

Over the years, urbanisation and agricultural expansion in India have squeezed the leopard’s natural habitat. Leopards are forced to adapt by seeking food sources closer to human settlements, often preying on livestock, or even attacking humans when opportunities arise.

A noteworthy example is the ongoing urban development on the Aravalli hills in Delhi and adjoining Gurugram. This encroachment is forcing leopards to venture into nearby villages in search of food and territory, leading to more frequent encounters with humans.

“This is a recipe for enhanced human-carnivore conflict. This conflict affects the poorest sections of the society due to their lifestyles involving poor housing and dependence on forest resources for livelihoods,” said Yadvendradev Jhala, a conservationist and former dean at the Wildlife Institute of India.

“To reduce human-leopard conflict, one strategy is to reduce the dependency of communities on forest resources. The second strategy would be to limit the growth and distribution of these conflict-prone large carnivores by using humane population management strategies,” Jhala told DW.

Understanding leopard behaviour

Wildlife experts and conservationists point out that big cat attacks on humans are the result of clustering, human behaviour patterns bringing people in regular contact with a leopard’s territory.

Ravi Chellam, a wildlife biologist, said given the size and diversity of India, the causes for these conflicts vary quite significantly across the country, and regionally tailored solutions are needed. “We should never forget that coexistence with wildlife is common and widespread in India among rural communities,” Chellam told DW.

Chellam added that a nuanced understanding of each situation is required, and this is possible only when forest staff work in close collaboration with locals. “In certain cases, leopards will need to be captured and it is best that these captured leopards are not released, especially if the release sites are far from the place of capture,” added Chellam.

Vidya Athreya, a wildlife biologist with extensive experience in minimising human-leopard conflicts, said it is important to understand leopard behaviour to allow coexistence between humans and wildlife.

“Translocating leopards can lead to increased human-wildlife conflicts. When leopards are moved to unfamiliar territories, it can stress them and disrupt their social structures, often resulting in more aggressive behaviours toward humans. Instead, there must be a focus on habitat management and community awareness to prevent conflicts,” she told DW.

Conservationist Jhala said problem leopards need to be removed professionally. “Carnivores that are proven to be dangerous to humans need to be removed immediately from the population. If this is not done professionally and in the most humane manner, the affected community will retaliate,” he told DW.

However, Jhala added that capturing leopards and releasing them elsewhere only moves the problem somewhere else. And sometimes, removal is not even necessary. “Communities often demand removal of carnivores that are living peacefully in their neighbourhood. This is counterproductive as often an amicable leopard is removed only to be replaced by another leopard that may be more conflict-prone,” he said.

What can be done?

In Mumbai, where urban sprawl spreads to areas bordering Sanjay Gandhi National Park, stakeholders like environmental organisations and conservationists launched a sensitisation program to educate citizens on precautionary measures to reduce human-leopard interactions. Consequently, the number of incidents of human-leopard conflicts in Mumbai dropped sharply.

“Under the right circumstances, humans and leopards can coexist in India’s urban landscape. While the short-term solution of transferring a problem animal to a distant wildlife park may seem like a solution, it is not,” Vikram Dayal, a safari operator, told DW. “The long-term solution requires education in waste management, basic dos and don’ts in areas near wildlife and proper town planning,” he added.

“The conflict is not just about the leopard and the people who live next door to wildlife areas. It is a mindset that needs change. We give almost all priority to one animal and miss the entire forest and the other creatures,” said Dayal.