“One More Leopard Lost”

Amravati territorial forest also knows as Pohara-Malkhed forest range is a rich biodiversity forest with many species of wild animals and plants. In spite of heavy human interference this forest has maintained its rich flora & fauna.

This forest is divided in patches between different villages like Pohara, Malkhed, Chirodi, Karala etc. this patches including some patches others are isolated and don’t have corridors connecting them with each other. Hence when leopard population increase in a particular patch (female giving birth to cubs) young leopard march outside the forest area to search a new territory for himself thus giving rise to human conflict which further results in accidental death, easy poaching or retaliatory killing of leopards.

In a series of such incident in Pohara-Malkhed forest on 4^th April 2010 skin of a young leopard was ceased from Jevad bit of Wadali range due to initiative taken by “Youth For Nature Conservation Organization, Amravati” NGO working for wild life conservation in Melghat Tiger Reserve and Amravati territorial forest for many years.

On the base of information gathered from local informer, which is a part of our information network developed in Melghat Tiger Reserve and territorial forest. Dr. Swapnil Sonone president of the organization along with members of organization mr.Shyam Pawar and mr.Rakesh Mahalle rushed to the location told by the informer leopard skin warped in bed sheet between bushes. Information was forwarded to forest department for further investigation, and backup team of youth for nature conservation also rushed to the spot including Saurabh Sutrave, Kunal Potode & Vaibhav Babrekar. While investigation were done by our team two suspicious persons were present some distance away, our team chased them but before the forest department team arrived they will able to escape from that location.

A hut near Chatri-Talav which was observed for illegal activities by our team was also searched in presence of forest official and police department & horns of spotted deer and legs of peacock were ceased from that hut offence were registered against the owner and further investigation is on the way.

Such incidences had happened and will happen again and again until monitoring on the movement of wild animals specially leopard is done properly, and human interferences should be reduced with corridors connecting the sensitive patches should be maintained and developed. We are continuously working on “Leopard Tracking Program” project for the wildlife conservation at Amravati territorial forest.