Wildlife officials against trans-location of leopards

28 April, 2008

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Wildlife officials against trans-location of leopards

The Hindu
Monday, April 28, 2008

- No proper study of the damage done by humans to animal habitats

- Trans-location may affect breeding in the wild

- Rehabilitation of carnivores at Vandalur zoo will become a problem

CHENNAI: Wildlife officials are concerned at the trans-location of another female leopard from an estate at Valparai within a week.

Only last week did they trap a female leopard, which mauled a three-year-old child after straying into a human habitation. Some officials feel that there is no proper study of the extent of the damage done by humans to the wildlife habitat, which has prompted animals to stray into human habitations.

Furthermore, like any other animal, the leopards are conscious of their
territory. If one animal is trapped and taken to another place, the officials explain, another will come in and occupy the same area. So it is not wise to do so.

The Valparai plateau is a leopard country, where the officials have trans-located two potential (female) breeders, which may be siblings. This will affect the breeding in the wild.

Only a few days ago did the State Government appoint an officer in the rank of Conservator to the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park, which has been declared a ‘Project Tiger’ area by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. So it is the duty of authorities to protect the animals found in this area and not to trap them for rehabilitation in captivity.

A senior officer admits that though the animals could be released in another forest area, far away from human habitations, the locals did not agree, arguing that there was no guarantee that the animal could not stray into human habitations again. Only because of the pressure from the locals did the officials shift the animals to the Vandalur zoo.

In the recent past, the wildlife officials rescued only male leopards that strayed into human habitations, except on the last two occasions. Similarly, sighting female leopards in the wild will be very difficult, says another officer. Above all, rehabilitation of such carnivores at Vandalur will soon become a problem: the zoo is not having adequate space for taking in carnivores. If more and more carnivores from the wild are rehabilitated, it will be difficult for veterinarians to provide treatment, as the zoo does not have enough space to shift the animals from one enclosure to another. Besides, the rehabilitation will also add to the financial burden of the zoo, the officials say.