Forest Dept to conduct black bear, leopard census

The study will focus on devising strategies to reduce the human-wildlife conflict as on and off, we get reports about attacks either by leopards or black bears on human beings,” Archana Sharma, Chief Wildlife Warden

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 1

The wildlife wing of the Forest Department will hold a census of Asiatic black bear and common leopards with the help of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Kolkata, and formulate a strategy to check the increase in attacks on human beings.

The wildlife wing will shortly sign a memorandum of understanding with the ZSI. A major part of this will be the study on the human-wildlife conflict which will primarily focus on the two species.

Though a census to ascertain the population of common leopards had been undertaken in 2004, it was not done scientifically and its figures were doubtful. The department has undertaken monkey and langur census thrice and of the highly endangered snow leopards once. It will for the first time collect data on Asiatic black bears which is found in the higher reaches of Chamba, Shimla, Kullu and Sirmaur.

“The study will focus on devising strategies to reduce the human-wildlife conflict as on and off, we get reports about attacks either by leopards or black bears,” revealed Archana Sharma, Chief Wildlife Warden and Principal Chief Conservator Forest (Wildlife). She said the timing as to when this population estimation based on reliable scientific techniques would be finalised with experts from the ZSI.

It was in June 2004 that a survey had been undertaken to assess the leopard population, which turned out to be 785 which included 24 animals in captivity. However, these figures were disputed as the survey was not done scientifically. As per the survey, the snow leopard population estimation stood at 35, which, after the conservation project in Spiti, has risen above 50.

Experts from an NGO, headed by Vidya Athreya, a wildlife biologist, who has vast experience in tackling problems related to leopards, had been assigned the task of mapping the leopard population in 2014.

Based on the outcome of this mapping, the Wild Life wing had to work out a strategy for reducing the increasing man-animal conflict but not much headway was done in this direction.

The department had also undertaken behaviour study pattern of leopards in Shimla which was helping them in analysing their behaviour and tracking their movement by undertaking radio collaring of three leopards.