At a time when the human-wildlife conflict shows no sign of abating in Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Harish Rawat's decision to institute bravery award for women named after a woman who had killed a leopard recently has not gone down well with many. Wildlife activists have strongly condemned the CM's announcement to institute bravery awards named after Kamla Devi who had killed a leopard last month after it had attacked her in her village in Rudraprayag district. Activists state that naming an award after a woman who had killed a leopard even in self defence would encourage people to kill wildlife. The government should in stead focus on resolving the human-leopard conflict in the State.
Kamla Devi was returning home on August 24 when she was attacked by a leopard. She had fought back and managed to inflict mortal wounds on the leopard with her sickle that led to the death of the big cat. She herself suffered deep cuts and three fractures on her hands. The incident was also reported about in some foreign media. The CM had then announced Rs one lakh cash reward for the 54 year old widow. Recently the CM announced that an annual bravery award named after her will be instituted for women. According to the CM's media in-charge Surendra Kumar Agarwal, the format of the award will be finalised soon.
However, wildlife activists and even Forest Department officers are unhappy with this decision. According to an activist here, "This year about 15 leopard pelts have been seized by the authorities and at least a dozen leopards may have been poached in the State though leopard pelt seizures have been fewer this year compared to past years. About a dozen persons have also been killed by leopards. In stead of taking steps to resolve this conflict the CM has taken a decision that will encourage people to kill leopards."
Though Wildlife Protection Society of India programme manager Tito Joseph believes that this decision would not motivate people to kill wildlife, he said that the government needs to make serious effort to resolve the human-leopard conflict in Uttarakhand.
A senior forest officer speaking on the condition of anonymity expressed disappointment at the CM's decision. He questioned, "What can we do if such a decision is taken by the chief ministerIJ"
Gauri Maulekhi of PFA Uttarakhand said, "Name a bravery award after someone who has contributed to society by fighting against odds. Killing wildlife is not bravery. The announcement is a politically motivated step to appease voters and will only inspire more people to kill wildlife," she said.
It should be mentioned here that while people also continue to suffer due to the conflict with leopards, the big cats too are not that safe in Uttarakhand. TRAFFIC- India, the wildlife trade monitoring network had in 2012 revealed that Uttarakhand had emerged as a major source of leopard pelts and body parts. The Forest Department had planned to construct toilets and strengthen cow sheds in the mountainous areas facing human-wildlife conflict as leopards tend to target villagers at times when the people attend to nature's call outdoors. However, these measures are yet to be executed.