Lucknow: To tackle the growing population of “sugarcane leopards” and the resultant human-animal conflict in Bijnor, the state government has roped in the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to study the carrying capacity of the district regarding its leopard population. The study may be the first of its kind for UP’s wildlife, reports the Times of India.
Around 87 villages in the district have been identified by the forest department as “sensitive” regarding human-leopard conflict, said G.P. Singh, Divisional Forest Officer, Bijnor.
Since January 2023, as many as 20 people have been killed during these confrontations and more than 80 leopards were either trapped or killed because of accidents. This year, 14 leopards were rescued from the area.
Bijnor’s fertile land, part of the Terai region and crossed by several rivers, makes it a prime location for both agriculture and wildlife. As a buffer zone to Corbett National Park, which has a high tiger density, transient leopards frequently move into Bijnor, seeking shelter in the thickets along rivers and the sugarcane fields. Additionally, Bijnor is home to Amangarh Tiger Reserve, established in 2012 to manage tigers moving from Corbett. The presence of tigers in the reserve often forces leopards to spread out into the sugarcane fields near villages.
The conflict is primarily driven by leopards following prey into sugarcane fields, where they sometimes have unexpected encounters with people.
Bijnor also has extensive agroforestry, with trees like eucalyptus and poplar being widely grown. According to one official, “A leopard does not require as much space as a tiger. A dense plantation with tall trees and access to water is enough for them.” However, mechanized farming along riverbanks has cleared much of the naturally grown thickets that used to serve as leopard habitats.
The NTCA had also dispatched recommendations about the man-leopard conflict in Bijnor. According to the authority, the leopards that are rescued from the sites of conflict must be sterilized before being released into the forests to contain their population. This, however, will require an amendment to existing laws as leopards are critically endangered and hence, protected under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act.
