The man animal conflict expert Nawab Shafath Ali Khan of Hyderabad, camping these days in the district of Garhwa for a disturbed and stressed leopard has in his own way raised kids hugely aware of the dangers of the leopard which no amount of miking would have ever achieved in creating awareness about the leopard menace.
A band of rural children has wooden sticks in their hands, some of them larger than the size of the kids but these little heroes now know much about the leopard, its food, its attack and big of all how to save oneself from it.
"Speak to these children and they will ask you not to go to the jungles after the sunset and before the sunrise," said a local resident.
Nawab, who loves to be called as a man animal conflict expert or conservationist or to be a simple resource person instead of being addressed as a hunter said "I have asked the parents and their children to have a self-imposed leopard curfew. It is all for the safety of human lives."
He said every day that we pass here in Garhwa district revolves around the leopard and we do count days that get passed without any human killed by the leopard since December 28 the last kill made by the leopard was a boy.
About children holding wooden sticks in their hands Nawab said "Not many people really know about leopards. It is none of their folly. Now from the day I and my team arrived at Garhwa we have been consistently and constantly urging villagers to be extra careful and cautious in the wake of the leopard menace."
Nawab said leopard can be hanging around behind the kitchen or behind the tree and so there is a great need to be sensitive to every move of the leopard.
This man animal conflict expert said last night the leopard fell for a 14 kg goat of one Bablu Prasad of Tetradeeh village after scaling the wall of his courtyard and barely 50 meters away from the house the leopard began eating its kill of goat.
He said Bablu Prasad was wise enough not to rush out of his room to save his goat worth 10,000 rupees or more. The conservationist Nawab said as this man Bablu Prasad had phoned him at 1.30 am last night, he asked him to alert his co villagers about leopard so around them and the co villagers acted as advised on phone by this crisis management expert.
Nawab said leopard has left his goat kill which is its habit and so there is every hope of the leopard returning to its left over kill to finish it and here Nawab said there stands a chance to sedate it as the kill and the watch camouflage will be only 22 meters away which is by far the most amazing range for any man animal conflict expert to tranquilize any disturbed or stressed leopard so far taken 3 lives in this district Garhwa.
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Man animal conflict expert Nawab Shafath Ali Khan with kids holding wooden sticks as part of awareness about leopard in Garhwa district