“The animal pounced upon a forest guard when he tried to tranquilise it at the house, injuring him critically. A 50-year-old man was also reportedly attacked by a leopard in the Devgarh Baria division at about the same time, but he survived. "I have the license to shoot only man-eating leopards," he said. There are guys who work late shifts and call-centre workers who feel threatened when they come home at night." In some areas or rural India, only a tiny percentage of households have access to modern sanitation, she noted. “Though two doctors were kept ready throughout the operation, the leopard died while it was being treated at the Sukna veterinary centre. Forest Department’s tranquilising team and an army of forest staff is camping in the troubled area with a number of cages deployed at vantage places to capture the animal, but haven’t yet succeeded. It's a high-stress situation for a leopard." When darkness falls, we take our children inside because no one knows when the leopards will appear," says Mrs Mathur. Reasons Behind the Leopard Attacks in Borivali Park Near Mumbai, In October 2002, the Times News Network reported: The Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) at Borivali, 18 kilometers north of Mumbai, is the only national park in the world which is situated right in the heart of urban development. Will a leopard attack a human? If you are the copyright owner and would like this content removed from factsanddetails.com, please contact me. He recently petitioned the Uttarakhand Forest Department to give him insurance when he goes to hunt. Hunters pay $10,000 or more to hunt leopards. [Source: Vivek Deshpande , Indian Express, October 29 2011]. People are usually unprepared to deal with a leopard intrusion and sometimes help precipitate attacks, he and other cat experts add. You're now subscribed to our newsletter. By then, Forest Department staff and policemen reached the scene. The SGNP is some 3 km from the spot where the leopard was first spotted. "The leopard is a territorial animal and we cannot expect it to stay in one area. The leopard “was spotted by a peon and a student of the school at about 8.15 a.m., Less than 15 students were in the building at that time. [Ibid], “Now, almost every villager in the area knows Rawat. Angry activists said the animal could have been trapped instead. [Source: India Travel Times, February 23, 2005], Meanwhile, forest officials have advised people against sleeping outside their homes at night. This year the school's popular annual festival had a cat called Claws as its mascot. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Can leopards swim? A leopard accidentally strayed into Khopat from the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, some 3 km away across the busy Eastern Express Highway, early in the morning. In October 2005 in Junagadh, India, a leopard attacked a family in home. With the villagers trying to chase it, it tried to flee and injured five villagers in the process. 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. “It was spotted near a house in the morning by villagers who raised an alarm, and this startled the leopard. There he saw the horrific scene of the leopard sitting on his brother’s body and devouring it. Wildlife experts suggest that he could have travelled along the Sutlej before venturing in to the town. Local anger Now the forest department is planning to build a wall more than three metres high and 90 kilometres long around the park to keep the leopards in. He has just found himself in the same place as a lot of people. Then, one night, the leopard attacked an old man. The forest guards, meanwhile, succeeded in tranquilising the leopard A leopard strayed into a village near Siliguri in West Bengal's Darjeeling district and severely injured several policemen and forest guards when they tried to tranquilise it. I had a little laboratory in the middle of the forest, and this leopard used to come around at midnight frequently and I'd hear his call. Tuesday’s killing of a female leopard had evoked concern and criticism from animal-lovers across the State. and 385 pounds of animals bones. 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. "It is really weird that in a city like Bombay we have to live in fear of leopards. So starving, injured, or old leopards might start attacking humans. Fears after dark The leopards sneak into Powai from the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, an urban lung which covers 100 square kilometres and is a haven for wildlife - including leopards. Shikha Thomas, one local, says she is angry at the indifference of the authorities. They even tried to scare it with firecrackers, but even that proved futile. "We see them almost every day," said Vilas Rajput, 35, a labourer who lives in Kaju Pada, a slum area straddling the border of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, an expanse of lush forest surrounded by sprawling suburbs and shantytowns. Leopards are strong swimmers and very much at home in the water, where they sometimes eat fish or crabs.. Can a male baboon kill a leopard? This constitutes 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. Baboons and leopards are arch-enemies. The leopard was hiding near the electric pump switch. "How long do they observe the animal and trace its routes before killing it? [Ibid], “About 35 leopards are thought to live in the park. Leopards are strong swimmers and very much at home in the water, where they sometimes eat fish or crabs.. Can a male baboon kill a leopard? Where can we go?". The animal then injured another person who got into its way and disappeared into the shrubs. Over the past few years, the city has seen a rise in the number of leopard attacks in and around the park. Mr A.C. Dogra, Chief Wildlife Warden, Punjab, confirmed that his permission was taken over the phone.