Urge Maharashtra to Save the Leopards

Recently, leopard deaths have dominated the headlines as villages across the country have resorted to inhumane and deadly techniques to solve conflicts between humans and other animals.

Each year, an increasing number of leopards and other animals are killed because of human encroachment on animals' natural habitats. As alarming proportions of their homelands are lost to development, "wild" animals are forced to live in closer proximity to humans and often wander into or near villages in their search for food. What animals usually encounter are callous humans intent on trapping and killing them, forest personnel who are ill-equipped to capture and relocate them humanely, or speeding vehicles which strike them down.
 
Just last month, a leopard who was trapped in Laxmi Nagar died after being beaten by villagers who wielded sticks and iron bars. This is not the first time such an incident has occurred. In October, a leopard died at the hands of villagers after both the police and the forest department personnel who were dispatched to help arrived without adequate equipment to capture the animal.

In May, a female leopard who fell into a well on a farm died after an unskilled van majdoor reportedly shot a tranquillizer dart into the leopard's spine. Leopards are also routinely killed on roads which cut through the forests. According to a news report, six leopards have been struck and killed by vehicles since 2003.
 
The frequency of such conflicts between humans and other animals is currently rising steeply in the state of Maharashtra. Both leopards and humans suffer terribly in these situations. It is time for the government to address this serious issue and take the appropriate and humane steps to prevent future tragedies and initiate appropriate action against the persons responsible for the deaths of any animals.
 
You Can Help!
Please use the form below to send an e-mail to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests asking him to initiate measures to curb the number of conflicts between leopards and humans.