Newindpress

Mangalore, Feb 24: The week has gone and with it the leopards too. Last week was unusual, for, within four days leopards from the wild strayed into human settlements causing a stir and unprecedented commotion.

While one leopard, which was nabbed in the city paid for its adventurism with its life, the other one captured in Padibettu Kalaigutthu which returned to an unfamiliar habitation in Someshwar forest has been left at the cruel hands of destiny.

The frequent straying of leopards (Panthera pardus), one of the four 'big cats' of the genus Panthera, has raised discomforting questions. Ten leopards had strayed into Padubidiri vicinity in the previous two years, according to officials in Kudremukh Wildlife Division. They were captured and later set free in different forests.

"The frequent strayings in fact exposes the immense pressure on its habitat," observes well-known naturalist Ashoka Vardhan. As the leopard preys on all sorts of creatures including dogs, the animal has learnt to thrive alongside people. "If the forests are not left alone, the man-leopard conflict will intensify," he warns.

Wildlife expert Jayprakash Bhandary is strongly averse to releasing captured leopards in different habitats.

Such captured leopards are under tremendous mental pressure with many internal and external injuries. Thus an injured leopard in an unfamiliar habitat may either die or return to have easy meals by preying on the livestock.

"The Pilikula Nisargadhama in Vamanjoor accepted the injured leopard which strayed into Mangalore with an objective to release the animal hale and hearty in its own habitat," Bhandary explained and added; "but that was not to be."