Ludhiana: Leopard on loose a ‘ticking time bomb’ warns wildlife expert

Sunal Kumar Roamin, a Ludhiana-based wildlife field biologist and subject matter expert on large cat behaviour and human-leopard conflict mitigation, dubbed the at large leopard “ticking bomb”

On the loose for around six days, the leopard first spotted in Centra Greens Society has kept the forest department officials on their toes. Now, experts are cautioning against the threat of a human encounter looming.

The leopard has been on the loose for around six days in Ludhiana. (HT File)

Sunal Kumar Roamin, a Ludhiana-based wildlife field biologist and subject matter expert on large cat behaviour and human-leopard conflict mitigation, dubbed the at large leopard “ticking bomb”.

“The leopard entering human habitat is a serious issue, as India reports around 250 deaths caused by leopard-human conflicts. It is no less than a ticking bomb in the residential area. It has a wide range of diet, can survive on poultry waste, earthworms, sanitary napkins and much more, but not for too long. After a certain period, it will hunt for a large kill to satiate its hunger, which can be a dog or livestock,” the expert said.

“Leopards do not attack humans directly. The first attack is always incidental, whether the animal pounces on a human perceiving it as prey, like a small child perceived as an easy target, or when threatened, acting in self-defense mechanisms, it will attack the human. But because this wild species is a fast learner, once it preys on humans, they consider it part of their diet,” Sunal added.

Killing a leopards, schedule one animals, can attract imprisonment for seven years. Sunal nonetheless emphasised on the need to prepared if one was to encounter the feline.

“Attacking a leopard with weapons will not kill it, but make it more aggressive and violent. Therefore, if anybody encounters it, they must inform the right authorities. Until it is captured, locals are advised not to go out in the dark alone. They must keep their dogs and cattle protected and remain vigilant in general,” he said.

Sunal further told HT that analysing the behaviour pattern of the animal was key as it can travel between 15-25 km a night.

District forest officer Pritpal Singh, commenting on the current situation, said, “As per our calculations, the leopard, last spotted in the sugarcane fields of Manjali Kalan, must have fed on boars sufficiently in number in the 20-acre large sugarcane field. It has so far not entered any conflict with any animal in the residential area. Keeping a distance from humans, it has not done any harm to them either. Though we are constantly monitoring it, we expect that the leopard will return to its natural habitat via Ropar-Neelon canal.”