Increasing Cases Of Leopard-Human Conflicts In Western Uttar Pradesh

NOIDA: The rescue of a sub-adult male leopard in a village near Meerut by a team of environmentalists has once again thrown up questions about leopard-human conflict in western Uttar Pradesh.

The districts of western UP are synonymous with sugarcane plantations and the adaptable big cats have utilised these tall crops as habitat where they live and breed. Combined with the increasing pressure on forest habitat in Uttar Pradesh, the once rich leopard population in the state is under constant threat.

The sugarcane plantations in the state are ideal habitat for leopards as they provide cover that allows them to remain unseen. Studies have shown that in many cases farmers and leopards use the same path at approximately the same time without the leopard being detected.

There has however been a gloomy increase in the number of incidents in human-leopard conflict in the state, many of them leading to the leopard being killed. In 2011, a leopard that was found in the sugarcane fields in Bahadurpur area of Ghaziabad and was eventually killed by them before environmentalists could intervene. 

As per a report by the Union ministry of environment report In Uttar Pradesh, as many as 22 persons were killed in wild attacks in 2010-11. Meanwhile, the state’s green cover has been staggering for years, despite all the plantation efforts by forest department. The green cover, in the last five years has gone down from 9.26% to 9.01%. In UP, moderately dense forest (which has 40-70% canopy formation) has gone down from 4,563 sq km to 4,559 sq km.

As per experts, this combined with the massive increase in population in the state has directly led to such cases of conflict. As per guidelines released by MoEFF in 2011 related to dealing with leopard-human conflict – the big cats are not usually inclined to attack people, on the contrary, they avoid people.

In a study, wildlife biologist Vidya Athreya and social scientist Sunetro Ghosal found that in the absence of their usual prey, such leopards that exist on the fringes of rural India – especially in sugarcane plantations – survive on a diet of feral dogs, pigs and livestock. The few wild animals they feed on are mongoose, civet cats and rodents.

While a number of farmers in the area feel proud that the leopard lives alongside them, others aren’t so tolerant. “We are forced live alongside these government-owned predators. They thrive in our farms and harm our livestock, yet we can’t attack and kill them,” said Umar Yadav, a farmer in Bahadurpur. “But some do, in the most horrific mob attacks imaginable”

Department officials require crisis and people management training in order to perform their jobs better. Compensation payments should be made less tedious and bureaucratic; it should be linked to effective protection, so that those who take better care of their livestock are rewarded, and support provided to those who lack the resources to adequately protect their animals,” said an environmentalist.

News Link:-http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/noida/Increasing-cases-of-leopard-human-conflicts-in-western-Uttar-Pradesh/articleshow/18152181.cms?

 

Truck kills one elephant and injures another in Noida India

“This is so tragic…when will they learn, elephants do not & should not be taken onto busy roads…period! R.I.P Roopkali”

NOIDA: A speeding truck hit two elephants near the Mahamaya flyover in Noida around 5.30am on Friday, killing a 45-year-old female animal and seriously injuring another. Both elephants lay on the road for nearly four hours, causing a huge early-morning traffic gridlock on the busy stretch.

The elephants were finally lifted with cranes and the road cleared for traffic. The injured animal, still in a state of shock, is being treated. Police said the truck was speeding when the driver lost control and hit the two elephants, travelling from Dadri to Wazirabad in Delhi. The truck driver escaped leaving the vehicle behind.

The two mahouts riding the elephants also fell off as the animals came under the wheels of the rogue truck. The mahouts were taken to the district hospital in Noida for treatment by police, who reached the spot on receiving information about the accident from a patrolling PCR.

“We were walking on the side of the road and suddenly without warning a truck hit us with great impact and we were all thrown on the road,” said mahout Mukut Kumar.

“When the accident occurred, the elephant named , which was killed, fell on its side along with the mahout who was riding on her,” said an auto driver, Upender, who was passing by. “We thought the mahout would be killed, but when he was pulled out he was alive, although injured and shaken.”

Police called in a veterinary doctor who declared one of the elephants dead. Vets from the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals were also called to the spot to provide medical aid to the injured 30-year old Chanchal.

“Since the Wildlife Trust of India is the organization which handles such emergencies, we provided the injured elephant with first aid and iced her wounds to give her relief,” said Dr Preeti from SPCA, Noida. “We also informed WTI, who soon sent their team of doctors to monitor Chanchal’s condition.”

The WTI doctors, who arrived at the spot at about 9.30am, gave the elephant antibiotics and kept it under observation. It will be transported in a truck to its residence in Wazirabad on Saturday morning.

“The elephant had multiple lacerations and was bruised all over. Also, its right hind leg was badly injured and the animal was in extreme pain. “We have given it painkillers and are going to keep it under observation for 24 hours,” said Dr Shanaz Amin from WTI.

The body of the other elephant was taken for an autopsy and the carcass thereafter buried, police said.

Meanwhile, police have arrested the three owners of the elephants, Zaheer, Iqbal and Farooq (who is also the elephant association president) under the wildlife Act.

News Link:–http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/noida/Truck-kills-elephant-in-Noida/articleshow/14512979.cms

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JUSTICE: Elephants are being killed for profit in India – Sukanya Kadyan.

http://www.change.org/petitions/justice-elephants-are-being-killed-for-profit-in-india-sukanya-kadyan