In June last year, two leopards died within a short space of time in different parts of Goa. Both were found dead in human settlement areas. A few years earlier, in 2018, a three-month-old leopard cub was killed in a road accident in Bicholim.
This time too, the cub had strayed off into a human habitat. It’s curious how most leopard deaths have been occurring close to human dwellings. It begs the questions of what is driving the state’s wildcats out of their own territory into man’s land.
The answer to this query is neither simple nor straight. Several factors could be responsible for the rise in leopard-man run-ins.
The most plausible one seems to be the indiscriminate development and encroachment along the edges of the Goa’s wildlife sanctuaries – Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary, Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary, Molem Wildlife Sanctuary, Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary, Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary – in the recent past.
Extensive network of roads, railways and properties being developed in the vicinity of the wildlife sanctuaries are disturbing the region’s ecosystem, often shrinking the fast feline’s habitat.
Extensive network of roads, railways and properties being developed in the vicinity of the wildlife sanctuaries are disturbing the region’s ecosystem, often shrinking the fast feline’s habitat.
Another possible reason for this could be encroachment by people on forest land, where the leopards previously roamed freely to hunt for their preys.
Forest officers and rangers – who patrol and enforce regulations in forested areas – claim Goa has seen largescale clearing of forest lands by encroachers for the cultivation of cashew nuts, areca nuts, coconuts and other plants.
Such activities on the border of the forests have cut into the territory of leopards, which usually remain on the fringes of a forest to avoid territorial conflicts with larger cats. Tigers usually mark their domain in the deeper part or the heart of the forest.
It’s the humans who have entered the leopard’s precinct. It’s them who are trespassing and not the other way round.
If we consider these facts, it’s the humans who have entered the leopard’s precinct. It’s them who are trespassing and not the other way round. This explains the higher number of leopard sightings by people in many areas.
Notably, the leopards have not just lost their habitat to humans but they are also in tussle with them for their prey base. Goa’s thick forest cover is known for its biodiversity and harbours a wide range of flora and fauna.
There have always been enough chitals, sambar deer, wild boars, wild squirrels and other such prey, which constitute a leopard’s food, in the state’s forests. However, Goans, with their fetish for hunted meat, have been biting into the wildcat’s food chain too.
A diminishing prey base has compelled starving leopards to venture into newer territories in search of food and frequently attack dogs and cattle, leading to a clash between the settlers of those areas and them. This survival showdown between the two has led to a dip in the leopard population in the state.
A diminishing prey base has compelled starving leopards to venture into newer territories in search of food and frequently attack dogs and cattle.
A recently released leopard census for the period between 2018 and 2022, shows that the number of leopards in the state has declined to 77 from 86 (between 2014 and 2018). Interestingly, the survey – carried out by the Goa Forest Department, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) – noted that 26 per cent of the state’s leopards are residing outside the protected area.
According to the census, large parts of the leopard population were concentrated in Mhadei and Mollem forests. The state’s leopard number has dwindled even as the number of leopards in the country has risen by eight per cent in the four years between 2018 and 2022.
Goa’s dip in the leopard population has baffled many wildlife enthusiasts. They find it hard to believe the data. Their take; being an elusive animal and known to frequently switch habitats, it could be possible that Goa’s wildcats may have wandered to another state in search of quality prey base.
But the fact remains that Goa has become seemingly inhospitable for these fast felines, emblazoned with patches of black rosettes on their fire-coloured fur. As the leopard’s ecosystem diminishes in the tiny coastal state, it is dousing the bright fire on their fur to make way for human ambitions.
