Leopards sighted in Hoshiarpur sanctuary
* Camera traps capture presence of three wild cats
Aman Sood
Tribune News Service
Patiala, January 22
Punjab is now an official leopard habitat with the Wildlife Department frequently sighting this natural predator in and around the Takhni Rehmapur Wildlife Sanctuary, Hoshiarpur. Wildlife officials have over the last few years sighted wild cats at different locations in the lower Shivaliks while pug marks have also been noticed in the kandi belt.
Records further suggest that in the past five years eight leopards have been rescued from residential areas. In 2015, two leopards, and in 2017 four leopards were rescued when they entered human habitat.
Official records suggest presence of over a dozen leopards in forests in Punjab.
Encouraged by the sightings, the government is adopting measures to ensure that the wild cats get a safe place to live in the kandi belt. The department is now watching the movement of leopards and has initiated steps to safeguard the leopards from poachers and also ensure that their natural habitat is kept guarded.
“We are pleased that leopards are now regularly staying in and around the Takhni Rehmapur Wildlife Sanctuary, Hoshiarpur, where trap cameras have recorded presence of three leopards,” said Kuldip Kumar, Punjab Chief Conservator of Forests (Forests and Wildlife). “While many leopards continue to stray into Punjab alongside many choes or rivers, the regular leopard sightings means that our forests have ample prey for this nocturnal predator,” he said.
As per official records, Punjab has regularly witnessed intrusion of leopards, which usually come from upper reached in winters and go back in summers.
“Now, they do not go back to Himachal Pradesh in the summers and live in the Shivalik belt only. One of the prime reasons is that they get easy preys in the form of wild boars, cattle, dogs, deers, rabbits and other species. They do not attack humans, except in odd cases of close encounters,” said Kuldip Kumar, adding that efforts were on to increase patrolling in the areas visited frequently by leopards.
“Whenever we capture a leopard for entering a human habitat, we keep it under observation for a few days. Once it is fit, we usually release it in forests in moutains,” he said.
As per official records, not a single death due to a leopard attack has been reported in Punjab, though some attacks have been reported.
