So starving, injured, or old leopards might start attacking humans. Vidya Atherya, the city’s leading leopard expert said: “that is likely to have worsened the problem because leopards are territorial and captured leopards often get injured and stressed. The situation became tense as the leopard attacked all those who came into its way in the residential area. In December 2005, Puja Pawar, a four-year-old girl, was dragged from outside her hut and killed by a leopard in the Manpada area of Thane district, and 50-year-old Laxman Choudhary was mauled. The lakes are, in fact, natural reservoirs for a largely water-starved metropolis. [Source: Rama Lakshmi, Washington Post, October 8, 2009], "This makes the villagers frightened and furious. One set of experts believe that human disturbances around the park have led to a drop in the prey base, resulting in the leopard looking elsewhere for prey (a problem, compounded by the rise in the leopard population). "In this village, the panther has been troubling the villagers since a long time. The boy's head and ankles were found in the upper reaches of the mountain the next day. A team of forest officials, including a deputy ranger, was roughed up by the locals of Azad Nagar village Tuesday after a leopard, which had killed a minor girl Oct 24, grievously mauled a youth Ramu in the village fields. Even half asleep, I'd turn on my receiver and when I'd pick up his signals, I felt, oh, O.K., there's my leopard. It's worse than living in a village," she says. "It is really weird that in a city like Bombay we have to live in fear of leopards. Five-year-old Anmol Bansal, who lived in a posh high-rise apartment, was one of the latest victims. In November 2006, a four-year-old girl was killed by a leopard in Vadodara in Gujarat state, India,. Three leopards were found living in a train station in the city of Kampala. Panic struck locals tried to drive away the animal, which ran into a nearby house and was kept locked in it till forest department officials, who had been informed, rescued it, official sources said. Already have an account with us? [Ibid], “Under Indian law, leopards and tigers are endangered species. Rajendran, former District Panchayat member, told The Hindu that incidents of leopards attacking cattle and people were on the rise in Angamoozhy, Seethathode and Chittar villages. There was no sign that the leopard was a man-eater and its attack on policemen seemed to be a panic reaction. The leopard had probably strayed in to the thickly populated area in search of food after its natural habitat in the Shivalik hills was engulfed with snow in the past few days. "This is not the man-eating leopard I am hunting for. , It is really weird that in a city like Bombay we have to live in fear of leopards, Officials are also trying to move some of the leopards out of the park. Wildlife travel: What animals can I see in Sweden? They say that the human interference in the wild animal habitat has also increased and many forested areas have been denuded, which force the wild animals to stray into villages. The leopards do come out of the forest to take dogs and to feed on garbage, but there us growing evidence that, if left alone, they will leave us alone.” [Ibid], Leopards Killed 12 People in Bombay Area in 2003, In December 2003, the BBC reported: “Residents in parts of India's business capital, Bombay (Mumbai), are living in fear of an unusual foe - leopards. Ajayan, a labourer who first spotted the animal was the first to be attacked. When my children were young, a large male leopard lurked around our camp for about a week. Peter Hathaway Capstick wrote in the book Man-eaters: “In no case is the human hunter more likely to end up as the killer’s deliberate next meal as with the leopard. Leopards were once slaughtered by the tens of thousands to supply pelts to the fashion industry. [Source: AFP, July 28, 2011], Rama Lakshmi wrote in the Washington Post, “Hiding in the bushes along a river, Lakhpat Singh Rawat heard mountain deer bark. "There is no guarantee that the leopards he kills are the same ones that kill people," said Hem Singh Gehlot, an activist working in villages located near wildlife pockets. [Ibid]. Tuesday’s killing of a female leopard had evoked concern and criticism from animal-lovers across the State. He sustained injuries on his left hand and forehead. Meanwhile, students at IIT are busy totting up their leopard sightings. As far as I know, big cats attack man either when threatened OR when they turn man-eater. Tribal people locate leopards by following dung, paw prints and other markings. A police spokeswoman was quoted as saying she died immediately. Spread over 104 sq km, the park is home to 40 leopards, among the many other species of plants and animals that take shelter here. Another, 2,500 or so are thought to be poached. “Despite our best efforts, we have been unable to track the leopard down. How to listen to podcasts, and the best wildlife and nature ones to listen to, 60+ wildlife and nature books for children and teenagers, Best British woodlands and forests to visit for autumn colour. They drink from swimming pools and sometimes raid garbage cans. In 2004, a female keeper at this zoo was badly mauled by a lion. The SGNP is some 3 km from the spot where the leopard was first spotted. "When we kill or capture and move them, we do not understand how we affect their ecosystem and social structure. Sign in to manage your newsletter preferences. Hunters pay $10,000 or more to hunt leopards. In October 2011, the Indian Express reported from Nagpur: “One more person was killed in a leopard attack in Samudrapur area of Wardha district, suspected to have been caused by the same problem animal that has so far killed two persons in the neighbouring Chimur range of Chandrapur district. From there it went to the first floor and settled in a room. Over the past year, 12 people, mostly children, have been killed in some 22 attacks near the sprawling national park in the city's Powai area. Frightened villagers said that it was the second incident after a leopard earlier took a girl away.India Travel Times reported: The famous Rudraprayang man-eater of India killed more than 125 people in the 19th century. "We found the carcass in the morning. Within minutes, a brown form moved slowly across a grassy patch. Also present were the District Collector, Rachna Shah. He has just found himself in the same place as a lot of people. 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