One leopard captured every 10 days: Karnataka Forest Department
What's the story
At least 143 leopards were captured in the last four years after they were found venturing into human habitat areas of Bengaluru, according to Karnataka Forest Department's data. It roughly translates to : one leopard is caught every 10 days.
A report said, of the 143 leopards, 50 were captured in Bengaluru city, and the others from Bengaluru Rural and Ramanagar districts.
The big cats
Leopards straying into human populated areas is not new: Official
Amongst the captured leopards, one of them includes the leopard that entered a private school in Whitefield, two years ago, injuring a wildlife expert and others.
B P Ravi, a forest official, said that leopards straying into human populated areas is not new. He revealed that Karnataka has around 1,125 leopards and has the second largest population of big cats in the country.
Details
Forest Department volunteers are creating awareness about leopards' behavior
The official said that the department has begun to send volunteers to villages near forests "to create awareness about leopards' behavior. People are advised not to graze cattle in the forest and to report sightings of leopards."
"With human activity increasing on forest fringes, and inside forests as well, incidents of big cats coming into conflict with humans have also gone up," added Ravi.