NASHIK: With the ending of natural habitat, leopards are spreading to villages and towns, resulting in a series of human-leopard conflicts. Meanwhile, in the last six years, 114 leopards have died in Nashik district due to various reasons including vehicle collisions, falling into wells, falling ill and the struggle between leopards for territory. The sighting of leopards is not new in certain parts of Nashik city and district. Every day, leopards are seen in some places.
Along with leopards, 38 blackbucks and 21 deer have died in the last five years, and measures to protect and conserve wildlife are failing. As wildlife habitat in the western and eastern forests of Nashik is being destroyed, leopards are migrating in search of prey. In five years, 24 leopards have died in road accidents. About Fifteen hyenas have also died in the accident.
Be careful while driving
Drivers should control their speed on the road where the area is leopard prone. Driving with care can save the life of a leopard. In many places, leopards fall into the wells and die due to lack of timely help in the fields. Farmers are requested to install nets on the wells. – Vivek Bhadane, Forest Range Officer, West Forest Range
Leopards are not counted separately
The number of leopards in Nashik district has been increasing for four to five years. While cubs are often found in sugarcane fields, attacks on farmers’ cattles are frequent in the district. Meanwhile, the forest department does not have a complete figure on the number of leopards in the district. The picture is that there are no real statistics on the number of leopards in the district.
