The lesser siblings (of Tigers) : Facing the wrath of negligence........ some insights into wildlife conservation issues in India

Leopards have for long, in India, faced the negligence of the authorities responsible for wildlife conservation. With, their more illustrious cousins, tigers getting the major chunk of the spotlight. It's not to say that the conservation of leopards has been neglected due to the focus on tiger conservation, but the message that I am trying to convey here is that, the entire wildlife conservation policy in India has, in a sense, been very myopic in both its conception and functioning.

First, our protected areas (namely national parks and wildlife sanctuaries) today, have turned into small islands, as roads, railways, & infrastructure projects separate them from each other, further and further.

Second, The buffer zones in these protected areas are getting eccroached into, with every passing day.

Third, the relocation of villages that are located within our national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, has been moving at a snail's pace, if at all.

Fourth, the illegal mining inside some of our prime reserves is going on unabated.

Fifth, since the time the wildlife tourism industry has started to boom, the forest department's focus, seems to have shifted from the core conservation issues to the management of tourists.

Sixth. our patrolling on the ground remains weak, at best, with the forest guards still not being competent enough, both in terms of skillsets, as well as in terms of the resources that are made available to them.




Seventh, and most importantly, when talking of leopard conservation, one glaring reality is that leopards live mostly in the buffer zones of protected areas and largely in areas which are not protected by law. This brings to them, a great deal of threat from the poaching mafia and from fatal conflicts with vellagers.

Coming to some facts and figures about leopard conservation in India. 235 leopards were killed in the year 2008; 291 were killed in 2009; and already in 2010 over 70 cats have been slaughtered. No way can the species survive such a war on it.

Leopards are dying across the country, specially in the northern hill states of uttarakhand, himachal pradesh, and in u.p., at an alarming rate. The beautiful panthera pardus is being killed by organised poaching mafias; is being hunted down by angry villagers who share their neighbourhood with it; being killed in road and rail accidents; and is being driven out of forest areas due to habitat loss.

India's leopards are being butchered due to various reasons, all of which can be dealt with, but only if we wake up in time. The leopard is calling out to us, its caretakers, to help it survive, for it too, is just another species like us, which is trying to earn its daily living....