The agile and stealthy predator-leopard-has become a permanent inhabitant of Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary.
The ongoing survey conducted by UT Forest department and Avian Habitat and Wetland Society (AWHS) in the Sanctuary has ascertained the permanent presence of the feral predators in the forest area. The Sanctuary which has a large herbivore population was a predator-free forest area earlier.
The survey teams conducting the year-long study on avian species of the Sanctuary have found full imprints of leopard pugmarks in the Sanctuary in the last five months.
The survey which commenced in the month of December last year has found the pugmarks of leopard suggesting permanent presence of the big cat in the Sanctuary.
Though the number of leopards in the forest has not been ascertained, the expert findings indicated that these carnivorous might be staying in the Sanctuary much before the survey had done and are now easily surviving in the Sanctuary due to large herbivore count.
While talking to The Pioneer, Narbir Singh, an environment enthusiastic and vice-president of Avian Habitat and Wetland Society said, “During the ongoing survey, the teams have found pugmarks of leopards every month since December. It’s been five months and there are indications that the leopard may have become a permanent inhabitant here due to easy availability of food.”