Maha Govt. Plans To Use Goat To Manage Leopards
Maharashtra’s forest minister Ganesh Naik on Tuesday told Vidhan Sabha during the Winter Session of the State Legislature that he had advised wildlife officials to release goats in large numbers inside forests to dissuade leopards from wandering into human settlements in search of prey.
Mumbai: In what may prove to be a controversial move, the Maharashtra government is planning to release goats in large numbers inside forests to stop leopards from entering human settlements in search of prey. Maharashtra’s forest minister Ganesh Naik on Tuesday told Vidhan Sabha during the Winter Session of the State Legislature that he had advised wildlife officials to release goats in large numbers inside forests to dissuade leopards from wandering into human settlements in search of prey. He supported this move attributing to the sharp rise in compensation payouts for the leopard attacks.
“If four people are killed in leopard attacks, the state must pay Rs one crore (as compensation). So I told officials, instead of paying compensation after deaths, release goats worth Rs one crore into the forest so leopards do not venture into human habitats,” Naik said.
We will soon implement this decision in areas where leopard menace is being reported, the minister added.
The behaviour and living patterns of leopards have changed in recent years, Naik said, adding, “Earlier, they were described as forest animals, but now their habitat has shifted to sugarcane fields.”
“The leopard is a Schedule-I animal which restricts the government while taking steps to reduce attacks on humans and the state has sent a proposal to the Union government to shift the species to Schedule-II of the Wildlife Protection Act,” the minister said.
There has been a sudden rise in leopard attacks in Maharashtra in recent months. On Tuesday, three people were injured in the leopard attack in Nagaon Village near Alibag in Raigad district. The incident has triggered panic in the locality and the forest department has called a team of experts from Pune to capture the leopard.
As many as 14 people have been killed across the state in just two months leading to large-scale protests from people. Ahilyanagar, Pune and Nashik districts have reported the highest number of leopard-related incidents.
Taking serious note of the increase in leopard attacks on humans in the state, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has proposed to declare the crisis as a ‘state disaster.’ The CM has also directed extensive use of drones to locate leopards roaming near villages and towns, trace and sterilise man-eating leopards, police and forest department to increase patrolling in human-leopard conflict prone areas and to increase the number of rescue teams and vehicles.