CLaW to crowdsource data by urging citizens to report immediately if they come across any death or poaching of the big cats
Leopard is one of the most poached big cats in India. File pic
It’s not just tigers that are disappearing fast, the fate of leopards is on the same path too. While India has been losing 400-450 leopards every year, there are many such deaths that go unreported as leopards do not enjoy the status of tigers in the country.
To push for better conservation strategies for the spotted big cat, Conservation Lenses & Wildlife (CLaW), an independent forum of wildlife enthusiasts from Maharashtra, will prepare a database of leopard deaths or poaching. It has created a Google form and appealed to citizens to fill it should they come across any leopard death. CLaW has already been documenting tiger deaths in the country. It plans to share its crowdsourced data about leopard fatalities with forest officials.
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Conservation photographer and CLaW member Sarosh Lodhi, “We lose more than one leopard each day. This campaign will help people get involved, raise awareness and create data for a more precise annual figure on leopard mortality.”
Leopard, a top predator, is one of the most poached big cats in India. In a recent crackdown, authorities seized large quantities of leopard pelts and parts in Anantnag and Jammu.
“Poaching apart, leopards fall in open wells, they are illegally trapped and released elsewhere, get electrocuted, poisoned and die in roadkills. Between 400-450 leopards die in India every year which is documented,” says CLaW. The initiative has got the backing of actors Raveen Tandon and Randeep Hooda.
501 leopard deaths in 2020
According to data compiled by NGO Wildlife Protection Society of India, 501 leopards died in 2020. So far this year, 115 big cats have died.
400-450
Average no. of leopard deaths in India every year
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