Housing crunch for leopards too?

Due to a 'space crunch' at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, two leopards are being kept in one cage in clear violation of environment ministry guidelines

A LETTER written by the Plant and Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has exposed the pitiable state in which leopards rescued from human habitats are kept at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP).


Two leopards are allegedly made to share one cage due to a space crunch, which is in clear violation of the guidelines on Human-Leopard Conflict Management

While the leopards are given proper food and water, two leopards are allegedly made to share one cage due to a space crunch, which is in clear violation of the guidelines on Human-Leopard Conflict Management issued by Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh last month.

Some leopards have allegedly also been kept in cages for more than a year despite rules stating that they should be allowed to settle into their natural habitats within a few hours if the leopard is not injured.

Making leopards share a cage increases the chances of fights between them and of them wandering into human habitats once they are freed. It also leaves barely any room for the animals to move around in the cramped cages.

Animal experts say keeping the animals caged makes them used to interactions with humans, which could make them less scared of venturing into human territory. It also makes them used to being fed and incapable of hunting for prey, which proves to be a significant handicap once they enter their natural habitat.

"Whenever a leopard is rescued, it should be released into its natural habitat within a week's time after giving it proper medical treatment. When a rescued leopard is kept in captivity for more than one month, it gets used to being fed and finds it difficult to catch its prey when it is released into the jungle.

Another drawback of keeping leopards in captivity is that they get used to seeing human beings and stop fearing us. This could lead to an increase in human-leopard conflict," said Krishna Tiwari, project head, city forests department, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).

As per the Human-Leopard Conflict Management guidelines, injured leopards or those raised in captivity should be housed in cages where they have enough space to roam around freely. They should also be able to climb trees, as it is a part of their natural habitat, and there should also be easy availability of drinking water.

Speaking to MiD DAY, Sunish Subramanian, founder, PAWS, said, "We know that SGNP officials are taking proper care of the leopards that are in captivity and of those that are injured.

But, forcing two leopards to live in one cage is against the law. The cages are claustrophobic as it is and there is barely enough room for one leopard to move around."

Subramanian said he has also written about the issue to the Central Zoo Authority, Animal Walfare Board of India , Deputy Inspector General of Forest and the state forest department and will follow it up properly.

What we saw
When MiD DAY visited the area where the leopards are kept in cages, we saw two cages which had more than one leopard in them. However, officials shooed this reporter away before he could inspect the remaining 16-odd cages stating only staff was allowed to enter the area.

SGNP's take
When we appraised Dr P N Munde, chief forest conservator of SGNP, of these findings, he said, "The leopards which are being raised in captivity are injured ones and were rescued and brought to SGNP from various parts of Maharashtra, including Nashik, Jawhar, Ahmednagar and Pune. We will release them into their natural habitat once they are fit again."

When MiD DAY pointed out that some pictures sent to PAWS by an animal lover and our own findings clearly indicated that two leopards were being kept in one cage, Munde refused to comment on that particular issue, but said, "Work on a modern leopard rescue centre spread over a two-acre area inside the SGNP is in progress.
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This rescue centre will be similar to the natural habitat of leopards and the project will be completed by the end of this year. When the centre is complete, the leopards will be kept there."

When we asked Munde where the department plans to keep the leopard rescued from Uran on May 11, he refused to comment.

An official from SGNP, on condition of anonymity, however said, "Since there is a shortage of cages, we are forced to keep two leopards in one cage. Now, with the leopard from Uran also being brought here, our problems have only increased."

The leopard rescued from Uran has been kept under observation at an undisclosed location in the SGNP.
Forest officials have already inserted an electronic chip inside its body and are closely monitoring its movements.

Expert Speak

"Caging so many leopards as a solution to the 'leopard problem' is not only a clear violation of MoEF guidelines but of common sense as well. SGNP needs to be encroachment-free so that the leopards can breed multiply. Also, the wall along the southern, eastern and western ends needs to be constructed without political interference."u00a0
Bittu Sehgal, Wildlife Activist and Editor, Sanctuary Asia

"If two leopards are kept in one cage at SGNP, it is a violation of MoEF guidelines. SGNP officials have been saying that they are coming up with a modern rescue centre for a long time but have failed to announce the date when it will be ready. Keeping two leopards in one cage increases their stress levels and could lead to fights."
Vidya Athreya, Wildlife Biologist and leopard expert

"As per the guidelines, keeping two carnivorous animal in one cage is wrong unless it's a mother and a dependent cub. It is a known fact that the SGNP does not have proper infrastructure to keep these leopards and, due to the lack of space in the cages, the leopards sometimes even bang their head on the metal bars, resulting in skull fractures. SGNP should see to it that one leopard is kept in a cage at a time so that it gets ample space to roam about."
Dr Anish Andheria, Director, Wildlife Conservation Trust

Guideline
The Human-Leopard Conflict Management Guidelines state: More than one leopard should not be kept in a trap cage/transport cage/housing cage (Reason: Infighting can lead to death and serious injuries).