The Haryana Wildlife department rescued a five -year-old male leopard after it ventured into a Hodal village in Panipat a week ago and released it into the Aravallis at Jhir in Nuh after a medical examination in the intervening night of Thursday and Friday. It was tranquillised by officials and kept under observation for two days before being released into the wild, said an officer of the wildlife department.
Sources in the department said that this was the second time in recent days the animal was sighted in the residential area of the district. Earlier, on May 9, this year, the wildlife department had rescued an eight-year-old male leopard after it had ventured into a village Behrampur in the same district Panipat and released him in Kalesar National Park. Leopards are generally inhabitants of either the Aravallis or the Shivaliks.
Talking to ‘The Pioneer’, Rajesh Chahal, wildlife inspector, Gurugram said that it was safely and swiftly rescued without any injury or man-animal conflict. As per the protocol, any rescued animal is kept under observation for 48 hours to get rid of the after-effects of the tranquiliser. Leopards are territorial animals, so it was advisable to release the animal in the same area from where it was rescued, he added.
Chahal further said, "Villagers were worried and panicking for the last few days fearing an attack. A team of six wildlife officers was formed and a trap was laid with a goat inside a cage. The team surveyed the area and increased surveillance. Our team was constantly monitoring the area. The cage used to trap the leopard had separate compartments for the big cat and the goat, so the herbivore was unharmed. This is the safest method to trap a leopard. The animal was healthy and released it on Thursday/Friday night into the Aravallis.”
Another department official said that the leopard had been spotted by several villagers in Hodal, who then approached the wildlife department. A video of the sighting was also circulated widely on social media. The team went to the area for several days to capture the leopard before they were finally successful on Wednesday. The leopard walked into the cage where the goat was placed as bait.
Observers opined that wild animals like leopards and panthers cause human and material loss in villages bordering forest areas as they often stray into inhabited areas in search of food. The increasing human population has depleted the habitat of wild animals thus forcing them to stray into human settlements-attacking people and cattle-and often getting killed in return, they added.
The number of human-wildlife conflict incidents has gone up during the last decade. Forest cover is also declining because of pressure from unchecked fuel-wood collection and grazing. A Wildlife Institute India (WII) report in 2017 had categorically pointed out that the south Haryana Aravali belt is a rich leopard habitat and an abundance of wildlife is thriving in this part of the Aravallis.
Also, the number of wildlife road kills, as human-wildlife conflict incidents, has gone up in the last decade. The forests are also degrading because of pressure from unchecked fuel-wood collection and overgrazing.
A two-year-old female leopard died after a vehicle hit her on Pali Road near the Asola Bhati wildlife sanctuary in Faridabad. In October 2019, an 18-month-old female leopard got crushed to death in the Pali area. In January that year, another female leopard died in an accident in Faridabad. In May 2015, a young female leopard died after a vehicle hit her on Gurgaon-Faridabad Road near Mangar Bani. In November 2014, a 12-year-old male leopard got killed in an accident in Manesar. In April 2014, wildlife officials confirmed four leopards dying within a week in and around a private golf resort in Gurgaon. In September 2008, a vehicle killed a three-year-old male leopard on the highway near Manesar village.