PANAJI
Rising human-animal conflict and rapid development of unmitigated linear infrastructure has led to leopard mortalities in Goa that has witnessed around 10 per cent decline in the big cat population in the four years- 2018-22.
It is also interesting to note that approximately 26 per cent of the leopard population resides outside the Protected Areas of Goa, mainly could be because of dwindling prey base and habitat loss that needs investigation.
The ‘Status of Leopards in India’ 2018-22 report was released by the Union Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) on Thursday, according to which in the Western Ghats, leopard population has exhibited a stability, but 65 per cent of leopards reside outside protected areas.
As per the report, Goa has a forest cover of approximately 1,800 sq kms which is contiguous with Kali Tiger Reserve in Karnataka. The state forms a linkage between the forests of the northern and central Western Ghats.
For the first time as a part of the All India Tiger Estimation exercise the Goa Forest Department sampled 5 sites using camera traps that yielded 219 photo-captures of 30 individual leopards. The continuous forest patches of Mhadei-Mollem harbour higher density of leopards compared to other parts of the State.
“The leopard population of the State was estimated to be 77 (2022), from camera trap and covariate model, with approximately 26 per cent of the population residing outside the Protected Areas of Goa,” stated the report, prepared by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) of India. In 2018, there were total 86 leopards.
The study reveals that there has been an increase in the cases of leopards straying into human habitations around the villages on the fringe of Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary, that is, Loliem, Poinguinim, Cotigao, Gaondogrem, Sristhal, Agonda and Cola.
“Leopard mortalities or an injury due to snaring is not uncommon as locals often put snares to capture wild pigs. Leopards also got killed by speeding trains and vehicles, an emerging threat to the wildlife of the state due to rapid development of unmitigated linear infrastructure,” NTCA said.
“Leopards, sloth bears and gaurs often venture into cashew plantations which are in proximity to the forested landscapes, leading to increased instances of negative human-animal confrontations in residential areas. The recent increase in leopards straying into human habitations has raised concerns amongst the locals,” it said further.
NTCA has recommended that it is important to investigate the state of the Goa’s forests in terms of prey, habitat conditions, and protection to gain insight into the situation. It has said that regular camera traps would help in monitoring of prey and their habitat in the forested landscapes.
“With appropriate management and conservation measures, the forests of Goa have immense potential for harboring sizeable large carnivore population,” the report stated.
