The forest department claims that it will first try to tranquilise and relocate leopard declared man-eaters instead of killing them. However, a couple of days ago, department staff in the Almora forest division shot dead a leopard — sighted with a human body — which had not been declared a man-eater by the chief wildlife warden. Activists have demanded that a case be lodged against the divisional forest officer for violating the Wildlife Protection Act and if the department fails to do so in 60 days, People for Animals, Uttarakhand, will do so.
On May 7, a leopard killed and took away a girl in a village in Almora forest division. The villagers searched for the leopard and the girl all night long and the following day, they found it inside a drainage pipe on the Betalghat-Saunral motor road with the girl's body. The villagers trapped the feline in the pipe blocking the exits with stones. It is alleged that though police and revenue officials reached the site, the forest department staff reached the site very late and even then they shot the feline instead of tranquilising it. The divisional staff avers that they were attempting to tranquilise the leopard when it attacked them and had to be shot. Surprisingly, when asked whether the department would take any action in this case, the chief wildlife warden SS Sharma said, "I have not seen anything. I do not know anything. I am in a meeting."
According to the Act, a wild animal can be killed only after it has been declared a man-eater or a rogue by the chief wildlife warden. Activists point out that some months ago, Sharma had himself said that such problem-leopards would be tranquilised and relocated instead of being killed as part of the action plan on leopard conservation.
Two held with leopard pelts
The Shyampur Thana police in Haridwar arrested two persons with three leopard pelts and seized the car the duo was smuggling the pelts in. The seizure took place on Friday when the police were checking for vehicle thieves and dubious characters. With this seizure the number of leopard pelts seized by the authorities this year in Uttarakhand has increased to at least 20.
The police were checking vehicles when they acted on a tip-off about a white car. When stopped, the driver and another man abandoned the car and tried to run towards the jungle but were caught by the police. The police caught Ramesh and Awwal Singh who belong to a village that falls under the Karnprayag Thana in Chamoli district. On being interrogated, they informed about three leopard pelts hidden in the boot of the car. Two of the pelts included the jaws of the big cats. They also confessed that they used to lay snares in the jungle and shoot trapped leopards. The pelts are then supplied to Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and other places after the customers are found.
The three pelts measure eight, 6.2 and six feet respectively. Wildlife Protection Society of India, Uttarakhand in-charge Rajendra Agrawal lamented that the State forest department has become inefficient. "With the department being unable to stop the continued killing of leopards in the State, the chief minister who heads the Forest ministry should take matters in his own hands to salvage the situation," he said.