Aurangabad:
The frequent straying of leopards and other wildlife animals in residential areas adjacent to forests has become a matter of grave concern for the villagers as well as the Department of Forest (DoF). Adding to the woes, sensation prevailed when one farmer spotted the movement of a leopard in Ranjangaon Khuri shivar, on Friday.
The man-animal conflict is increasing due to the expansion of residential colonies or villages in the areas adjacent to the forest. The experts claim that the animals are stepping out of their natural habitats in search of food or to trace the food chain. Apart from leopards, one would have observed that the straying of wild boar, deer, nilgai, rabbits etc has become common since the lockdown period. The decline in food required for survival is encouraging the leopards to move towards the residential areas where they could easily find dogs and other animals as their prey. It is also alleged that the ecology of the forest has been disturbed or damaged due to the construction of highways through the forest land. The movement of vehicles on these roads is round the clock and it is proving a nuisance for the wildlife animals.
The wildlife warden Dr Kishore Pathak says that the sugarcane fields with standing crops extended till the Jayakwadi Dam (Paithan) are a preferred hideout for the leopards. Many a time, the cubs of leopard have been spotted in the sugarcane field at Kannad, Sillod, Soyegaon areas etc. Hence the rise in straying of leopard is not only in Aurangabad district but all over Marathwada.”
According to the range forest officer (RFO), Dada Taur said, “The DoF will be installing a cage and erecting a network of CCTV cameras for surveillance of leopard movements in Ranjangaon Khuri village. Meanwhile, as a precautionary measure, the villagers should always carry a wooden stick (lathi) along with them and wrap their necks with a thick size muffler. Instead of visiting the fields alone prefer to go in groups.”