The majority of the 105 wild animal deaths in Maharashtra were caused by tigers and leopards.

 A rise in human-animal conflicts, particularly leopard assaults in and near concrete towny communities, has been seen recently in the state.

Updated: Saturday 07,2023, 7:22 Pm IST

Since a few decades ago, urban areas in Maharashtra, including Mumbai, Pune, and Nashik, as well as semi-urban areas like Satara and parts of Vidarbha, have had to deal with the threat of wild animals escaping their constrained habitats into residential areas, which inevitably results in "man-animal conflicts."

Animal-human conflict has increased in Maharashtra.

A rise in human-animal conflicts, particularly leopard assaults in and near concrete towny communities, has been seen recently in the state.

A startling 105 people lost their lives between January and December 2022 as a result of assaults by wild animals, mostly tigers and leopards with the remainder coming from other inhabitants of the jungle.

Tiger and leopard attacks resulted in 94 deaths in 2022.

According to Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Mahip Gupta, 77 people were killed by tigers in 2022, and 17 by leopards. The maximum number of deaths occurred in Nashik, with eight; Chandrapur, with six; and Nagpur, Kolhapur, and Thane, with one each.

Sudhir Mungantiwar, the state's forest minister, recently released statistics on these conflicts, showing that they have increased in the last three years. In 2019–20, 47 people died as a result of wild animal attacks, followed by 80 in 2020–21, 86 in 2021–22, and 105 in 2022, the worst year for such deaths.

Wildlife conservationist Kishore Rithe, secretary of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), noted that in addition to tigers and leopards, the state also reports gaurs killing four people, wild boars and elephants killing two each, as well as sloth bears, foxes, and even crocodiles killing one each in 2022.

Leopards wandering the Mumbai's Sanjay Gandhi Park

The primary leopard hotspots in Mumbai are the woodlands of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, the neighbouring Aarey Colony, and the expansive Film City and IIT-B campuses, however they have ventured far beyond, including on roads, in cars, buildings, bungalows, or upscale housing developments.

Since the area is home to an estimated 60 or more leopards, one of the highest urban concentrations of these spotted big cats in the nation, there have been around six fights with them, including at least two fatal ones involving children.

According to Rohan Bhate, a member of the BNHS Governing Council and an Honorary Wildlife Warden, leopards are now most dangerous in the lush, wooded Satara region, the nearby sugarcane fields, as well as the nearby Pune area.

"The number of individuals who meet leopards is rising. Nearly daily reports of leopard sightings and requests for help. In the past four weeks alone, we have saved and restored more than a dozen lost cubs with their moms "a member of the Creative Nature Friends Society, an NGO, said (CNFS).

Humans must exercise caution around potential hazards in the nature.

Even though there are clear dos and don'ts in place, according to wildlife expert and former PCCF Sunil Limaye, humans frequently enter or encroach on wildlife territories. This is especially true in areas close to the state's numerous animal sanctuaries and reserves.

He described the clash between people and animals as "not so nice but not so horrible either," adding that it is more important for humans to be aware of the risks present in the wild than it is to anticipate suitable behaviour from the animals.

"As people intrude on their areas or as animals travel outside of the forest in quest of food, conflicts arise. Elephants from Karnataka or Odisha have been romping here for the past several years, wreaking havoc on lush farmlands and crops, and this poses an increasing threat "Rithe remarked.

In addition, Limaye said, "people keep encroaching on wildlife's area, preventing wildlife from accessing their usual forest corridors, or even chasing them away when they are observed, resulting to unnecessary clashes, frequently with losses or fatalities."

Bhate said that more than 20 years ago, as a result of a significant leopard risk, around 110 leopards were captured from the infected Nashik, fitted with tracking tags, and released in other forested areas of the state.

"Unexpectedly, it was discovered that after some time, about a dozen had headed back to Nashik, where they originally belonged! Leopards appear to have a "homing sense" and return to their birthplace, even cubs born in sugarcane fields who regularly visit because they find it cosier there with plenty of big and small food nearby compared to the rainforests "Bhate added.

remarkable increase in the cub survival rate

Additionally, it has been discovered that female leopards are now giving birth to three to four cubs instead of just two or three, which is increasing the population. The survival rate of the cubs has increased from about 40% to 50% or higher, he said.

According to state forest officials, there are Primary Response Teams to alert people against approaching woods while animals are moving around or at night, when large cats are frequently out hunting.

Although it is not always possible, the Rapid Rescue Teams' stated goal in the event of a tragedy is "to save both humans and animals," according to a forest officer from Yavatmal.

Experts frequently call for an all-encompassing long-term approach to lessen conflicts between people and other animals, stressing that it is the responsibility of humans to meet the requirements of animals and prevent conflicts in one another's domains.

In order to provide both large and tiny wild species greater "breathing space" and "elbow room," Maharashtra has designated 52 wildlife sanctuaries/reserves around the state through the year 2022, with plans to add seven more soon.

According to Mungantiwar, this has required up to 13,000 sq km of physically protected areas to ensure the safety of the flora and wildlife, particularly in the areas bordering national parks, sanctuaries, and reserves as well as the vital "jungle corridors" that connect them.

In a commendable gesture last year, the Maharashtra government increased the compensations provided to victims of all wildlife assaults, including both humans and their livestock and agricultural animals that provide a living.