Forest jump: Radio collars on leopards at Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai unravel fascinating tale

Maharaja captured by a camera trap

The collaring of two leopards at Sanjay Gandhi National Park with radio chips has beamed information that has left wildlife researchers and forest officials excited. The data has shown that one of the big cats, a male one, moved thrice between SGNP and Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary crossing a bustling road and railway tracks.

Savitri walked around the Tulsi lake last week

The leopard named Maharaja, aged 6-8 years, was radio-collared on February 22 on the northern periphery of the park.

"Maharaja has walked around 62 km in 6 days. While he covered 8 km between 7 am and 7 pm, it walked for 54 km at night. The interesting fact is that it travelled from SGNP to Tungareshwar sanctuary three times, crossing the busy Chinchoti-Bhiwandi highway and the Vasai-Diva railway line," said biologist Nikit Surve.

Explaining the journey of the other big cat, Savitri that was radio-collared on the southern end of SGNP on February 20, biologist Dr Vidya Athreya said, "On March 17, Savitri started at 7.30 pm and walked around the Tulsi Lake, completing about 4.57 km in 11 hours. She rests during the day and walks at night. The interesting fact is that once she did parikrama of the Tulsi lake."

A team of researchers has been tracking the radio signals from the chips on the leopards. A camera trap has captured Maharaja close to a road. Following the animals' trails, they have also come across evidence that the big cats are feasting on chicken and dogs.

The radio-collaring project is an attempt by park officials to understand the leopards' interactions with humans and how they use the landscape since a lot of infrastructure projects have come up in and around Mumbai and the state over the years.

Scores of animals have died over the years trying to cross the busy Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway and on the roads surrounding SGNP, including the Thane Ghodbunder Road, and inside Aarey Milk Colony. The project aims at finding solutions to reduce animal deaths.

Environmentalists, wildlife conservationists and nature lovers have been demanding that whenever a new road is planned or widened, authorities should take the help of forest officials to identify spots used by wild animals to move from one side to the other. At such locations, they say, underpasses or overpasses should be built to facilitate animal movement.

62km
Distance covered by Maharaja in 6 days