The Forest Department has set up cages in two localities following leopard sightings near human habitations in Dehradun. Apart from this the department staff is also patrolling the areas where the residents have been told to avoid moving out at night alone.
Though the department staff has not yet sighted the spotted cats, the residents maintain that leopards are frequenting the area. Apart from the leopard fear, residents of Nakraunda area are facing problems posed by elephants raiding the agricultural fields. A leopard cub was first spotted in a vacant plot in the Canal Road area last week.
The Forest department staff tried to capture the feline to release it away from human habitation but the cub escaped in the woods before it could be captured. Since then the locals have reported sighting of a leopardess with two cubs in the area, the department has placed a cage to trap the big cat. Department personnel are also patrolling the area at night but have so far failed to spot the big cats. likewise, leopard sightings in Chandmari area have spread anxiety among locals.
The department has also placed a cage here. However, in both the places, the big cats are avoiding the site where the cages have been kept. In the meanwhile, the locals have been advised to remain alert and avoid moving out alone at night. In the Nakraunda area, elephants damaged crops and entered a human settlement. The department is talking of considering protection measures like erecting solar fencing and digging trenches to keep elephants away from human habitations.
However, activists point out that such protective measures will simply make the animals move to other places. lack of adequate prey base for leopards and fodder for elephants tends to encourage these wild animals to move towards human habitations in search of food.Apart from this, the expansion of human habitations into forest and fringe areas is also responsible for increase in confrontations between humans and wildlife.