Animal activist slams Rawat's suggestion on leopards

A noted animal rights activist today slammed Chief Minister Harish Rawat's suggestion that excess population of leopards should be shifted out of the state to reduce man-animal conflict.
"The main reason for rise in incidences of man-animal conflict is deforestation and human encroachment on the natural habitats of animals.
Instead of controlling deforestation, Van Gujjars inhabiting the forests of Uttarakhand have been allowed to cut off the jungles and do farming. This would create circumstances conducive to rise in man-animal conflicts instead of reducing them," Gauri Maulekhi said in a statement here.
Slamming Rawat's suggestion that the excess population of leopards should be shifted out of the state, she said it was a "naive" idea which will not help the situation.

Expressing concern over rise in incidents of leopard attacks in residential areas of the city, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat had on Monday asked the forest department to prepare a detailed action plan to deal effectively with the problem.
"It seems the number of leopards in Uttarakhand has risen beyond the state's capacity to accomodate them.

"A proposal should be sent to the Centre to shift the excess population of leopards outside the state," said an official release quoting the Chief Minister at a meeting with forest department officials on Monday.
Maulekhi also took strong exception to the killing of a leopardess suspected of mauling to death a teenaged girl near FRI on Saturday last saying it was not clear whether the leopardess killed was the same which had attacked the girl.

Terming the killing of the leopardess by the forest department as "inhuman" as the postmortem has proved it was pregnant, Maulekhi who is the member secretary People For Animals, Uttarakhand and Co-opted member, Animal Welfare Board of India said the matter will be taken to court.