No trace of leopards in Vizag forest areas

Visakhapatnam: Are the leopards disappearing from the forests in the district? It seems so. The forest department officials are analysing the reasons for the disappearance of a large number of leopards at Sitakonda forest range areas spread out in the city.

In the absence of leopards at Simhachalam, Kambalakonda, Sitakonda and the surrounding regions of Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, the population of spotted deer and sambar has been increased.

Almost on every day, a big number of spotted deer and sambar are storming into human habitations and on the roads. Taking advantage, some poachers are trapping the wildlife and smuggling the meat also. Meanwhile, the stray dogs have been attacking sambar and spotted deer for their meat.

In recent times, particularly after the Hudhud cyclone, there was not even a single leopard found in the forest. In fact, there are large number of leopards on the hillocks of Sitakonda, Kambalakonda and Simhachalam hillocks. In fact, the Forest Department officials and staff, have seen leopards coming out to quench their thirst at the ponds of Kambalakonda.

Recently, on the rumours that leopards moving on the Kailasagiri hills, the Forest Department set up five CCTVs and offered goats to catch leopards. During the tracing of the movement of leopards, the busiest tourist spot, Kailasagiri, remained closed for days.

However, there was no trace of any leopard in the region. “This indicates that almost all the leopards in the Visakhapatnam forest range have disappeared. The increasing population of spotted deer and sambar is also proving the same.

We are getting frequent calls from the public in areas of Sitakonda, Kambalakonda and Simhachalam hillocks that number of spotted deer and sambar are running at habitations and on the high-way also.

These animals are also dying when in road accidents also,” a senior forest officer said while speaking to The Hans India here on Monday. There is good number of leopards on the hills and they hunt the spotted deer and sambar. It is true that in the absence of leopard, the spotted deer and sambar population increasing, the official confirmed.

In 1980s, the Forest Department, in its findings, said that there were more than 80 leopards near the surrounding forest ranges spread across the city. However, the number fell drastically to less than 25 in 2010 and now no single leopard was traced in the forests.

As part of wildlife conservation, the Forest Department has to take up the construction of a fence around all its boundaries. Though there are several proposals prepared to construct iron and mesh fencing to stop the entry of wildlife into human habitations, nothing was materialised.

By VKL Gayatri