Nature Watch India to reunion of caged leopard with its cubs
A pro-animal and wildlife protection group Nature Watch India demanded the Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur to direct wildlife officials to release and ensure reunion of the caged female leopard as lives of two to three cubs without their mother may be in danger.
State Convener of NWI Mr Rajeshwar Negi told us that he has written a letter to Himachal Pradesh CM to release the captured female Leopard kept in rehabilitation center Tutikandi since Nov 18.
” Two to three cubs required reunion and rehabilitation with its cubs as the Leopard was caged by state wildlife authority for alleged killing
of a boy Nov 4, 2021 in Shimla without ascertaining it being involved in children killing” he alleged.
The Additional PCCF (Wild life) Anil Thakur told us that they have not received the scat scan report of the female leopards and it is not ascertained whether the caged animal was responsible for killing of the four years boy or not.
Responding to the query about reunion of the lost cubs of caged female leopards Mr Thakur said that search is underway in the forest with help to trap camera and wildlife officials to trace the astrayed cubs after their mother was caught on Nov 18 by the wild life authority and team of expert from the Dehradun Wildlife Institute recently.
Mr Negi alleged that action of the officials is against the sec 18 and 4 of Wildlife Proection Act 1972 and under the prescribed Wildlife protocols and procedures of the National Tiger Conservation Authority on Leopards.
He said that if was taken under the WPA 1972 and following SOPs NTCA , after the alleged killing of a 6 year old girl in the same forest on the 6 of August 2021 this tragedy could have been avoidable from repeating.
That owing partly unfamiliarity with such regulations, lack of skill in management of human conflicts with animals, and primarily because of the pressure created by the public the response to such situations by the Wildlife officials has been deplorable and unprofessional.
Refuting the order passed by the HP Human Rights Commission , a statutory body to capture or eliminate the man eating leopard Mr Negi said that it have exceeded its domain.
Issuing a death warrant against the alleged Leopard a suo moto declaring it a man-eater and issuing further directions beyond its purview , that too without any evidence- Leading to the hasty and unnecessary capture of a female leopard being caged and separated from her cubs to satisfy its directions .
That neither was any attempt made to establish the identity of animal made by way of collecting and examining samples of its hair , saliva , scat from the victims body or clothes nor from the adjoining forest made , even after 4 months
He said that they neither matched the pugs of captured Female leopard to those clicked on the camera trap recordings . Mr Negi said that captured female leopard has been frequently sighted by locals near Pagli and Kalnog but with no apparent tendencies of attacking human.
The attempts to befool the public by stating that forensic reports of DNA markers found on the dead children are an attempt to mislead and justify its capture, no DNA samples were collected from the body of the girl recovered on August 6, 2021 nor any pugmarks or the scat scan of dropping of any leopard collected in either in the wild in this cases
Demanding strict action against the Chief Wild Life Warden , the Forest Department Chief Mr Negi demanded the CM to not allow such lapses to repeat in the future seeking to reunion or release of captured female leopard with her cubs.
He regretted that adequate and mandated steps had not been taken diligently by the Wildlife and forest officials before catching the female leopard.
