Mumbai: Metro 3 shed site in Aarey home to five leopards

Abhimanyu, a male leopard at the Aarey Milk Colony site

Amid the debates over the presence of wildlife at the Metro line-3 car depot site at Aarey Milk Colony, the findings of a camera trapping study undertaken at the site have brought forward some surprising facts. The study, carried out between November 2021 and June 2022, has found a total of five leopards using the car depot site. Apart from leopards, jungle cats, mongoose and monitor lizards were also spotted in the camera traps, highlighting the presence of wildlife in the area.

Also read: In rare sighting, two leopards caught sitting on a tree in Aarey

Kishori, a female leopard, and her cub spotted in one of the three camera traps

The findings come at a time when the new government, with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fandnavis at the helm, decided to construct the car shed in the Aarey Milk Colony land.

The previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government headed by Uddhav Thackeray, who is known to be a wildlife lover, had decided to move out the car depot from this land and also declared 812 acre area in Aarey as forest. The decision was welcomed by many wildlife and nature lovers.

Another leopard spotted at the car shed site. Pics/Maharashtra Forest Department

With the present government's decision, nature lovers have once again started their protest while infrastructure lovers are of the opinion that the car depot should be constructed in Aarey Colony to avoid further delay and cost escalation of the much-awaited project.

The study

Sources from the forest department told mid-day that the camera trapping study was initiated at the Metro-3 car depot site after former environment minister Aaditya Thackeray instructed the Thane Forest Department to document the wildlife using the car depot site, so that better conservation strategies can be planned.

The Metro line-3 car depot site (marked in yellow). Pic/MMRCL

A forest officer requesting anonymity said, "Camera trapping was undertaken at the car depot site from November 2021 to June 2022 to study the movement, dispersal and activities of wildlife, including leopards, to help mitigate human-leopard conflict incidents. According to the report submitted by the team of volunteers which carried out the study, a total of five different individual leopards were found to be using the car depot site. Apart from leopards, jungle cats, mongoose and monitor lizards were also captured in the camera traps."

The five leopards spotted at the car shed site. Pics/Maharashtra Forest Department

As per forest department sources, three cameras were installed inside the car depot site. Of the five individual leopards spotted during the course of the study, two are adult males, one is an adult female, one is a cub and one is a sub-adult. The leopards were identified on the basis of rosette patterns on their body. The report also stated that the leopards were not just found during the night but also during day.

It is interesting to note that while the three adults matched the forest department's database and were identified as L90, L105 (both adult males) and L123 (adult female), the cub and sub-adult did not match existing data. This may mean that they may be new individuals. In fact, the female leopard was spotted with its cub.

Several other species, including jungle cats, are present at the site, as per the study

Rich biodiversity

Aarey Milk Colony is spread across 3,162.32 acres of land on the southern border of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and was established in 1949. According to NGO Empower Foundation, Aarey forest is home to around 290 species of wildlife consisting 16 species of mammals such as leopards, sambar deer, barking deer, spotted deer, civet cat, rusty spotted cat, wild boar, jackal, langurs, monkeys; 76 species of birds; 38 species of reptiles like python, cobra, Russell viper, krait; 13 species of amphibians, 27 species of insects, 86 species of butterflies and 34 species of wild flowers. Among these, leopard, sambar deer, rusty spotted cat, alexandrine parakeet, red-wattled lapwing are in IUCNs red list of near-threatened or vulnerable species.

Two mongooses photographed by the cameras

290
Approx no of species present in Aarey forest

Nov 2021-Jun 2022
Period Aarey camera trapping study was conducted