Rain, floods may increase leopard movement to higher ground
Heavy rain had flooded low-lying areas in district Bijnor which has been facing leopard attacks for the last 20 months.
Amid heavy rainfall in the region, forest officials of Bijnor have appealed to people to be cautious while stepping out and while going to the fields because wild animals, including leopards, may have taken shelter in higher ground to keep themselves safe from floods.
Heavy rain had flooded low-lying areas in district Bijnor which has been facing leopard attacks for the last 20 months. Leopards killed 26 persons in this span of time and people in rural areas of the district are constantly living in fear of leopard movement and possible attacks.
Divisional forest officer ( DFO), Bijnor, Gyan Singh said, “The movement of leopards near human population may increase due to floods in low-lying areas of the forest and leopards will move towards higher ground near the human population to find shelter, which may aggravate man-animal conflict situations”.
Singh appealed to people to take all precautions while venturing into the fields to collect fodder and other work. “In the dark of night, if necessary, go out with adequate light of torch, etc, carrying a stick and making noise”, advised Singh, adding that “women and children should not go alone in the fields to pick fodder, adequate security should be maintained around houses, animal sheds, cow sheds, poultry farms etc. Maintain lighting and follow the advisory issued by the forest department, be careful and alert”.
Meanwhile, the forest department caged 68 leopards in the district in the last 20 months and 11 of them were caught in a span of a month.
People also claimed seeing two tigers in Kalagarh area during the rain.
