‘At least 3 maneater leopards prowling around in Motichoor range of Rajaji’

HARIDWAR: The teams involved in the search of the maneater leopard who had killed a labourer working with the forest department in May at the Rajaji Tiger Reserve have claimed that there are not one but at least three maneater leopards prowling around in the reserve. An official of one of the teams constituted to track the maneater said that photo evidences collected from cameras installed in the region have revealed the presence of multiple maneaters and not a solitary animal as was being suspected.Vikas Rawat, range officer of Motichoor range, told TOI, “It is quite likely that more than one leopard is involved in the killings which have been reported from different areas of the range. Five cages have been installed at various points in the range and our teams are continuously patrolling the range to stop man-animal conflict. We have also asked locals who live in residential areas near the reserve to avoid entering in the deep forest.”
Since 2015, as many as 11 leopards have been captured from the range because they were perceived as a threat but there has been no let up in the incidents of man-animal conflict in the area. A total of 17 persons have been killed by leopards in the last three years in the Motichoor range while four deaths due to big cat attacks have been reported from the area so far this year.
Confirming the presence of multiple meneaters in the area, senior wildlife veterinarian of Rajaji Tiger Reserve Dr Aditi Sharma said, “It is true that more than one maneating leopard is active in the Motichoor range and photographic evidence is also pointing towards this. We took several photos from cameras installed in the forest soon after the conflict and a different leopard was spotted after every incident. What is most worrying is that there is no shortage of prey in the forest of Motichoor range. Why then are leopards becoming maneaters? It is a matter of great concern for us and proper research should be conducted in this matter as soon as possible.”