Centre gives nod to radio-collar five leopards in Mumbai

The Union environment ministry has approved a proposal to study the movement of leopards in and around Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in Mumbai by radio-collaring

The Union environment ministry has approved a proposal to study the movement of leopards in and around Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in Mumbai by radio-collaring (GPS collar) five leopards.

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Forest minister Sanjay Rathod on Monday announced the development and said, “The satellite telemetry study will help us understand leopard movement and behaviour, human-leopard correlation, how these animals use congested human-dominated landscape, and most importantly, how conflict can be reduced. It can develop a model for other parts of the state.”

Till date, no leopard in and around SGNP has been radio-collared. This would be the first project planned at a forest close to a large metropolitan area.

First discussed in 2016, the Maharashtra forest department had approved the proposal by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), India for the two-year project in August 2019. A memorandum of understanding was signed soon after. “However, since leopards are schedule 1 species under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, an approval was needed from the Centre to commence the project. We received the approval last week. WCS India has indicated that the project will commence in January 2021,” said Nitin Kakodkar, principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife).

The cost of project is ₹62 lakh, of which the state will fund ₹40 lakh and the remaining will be borne by WCS-India. “The project implementation also depends upon the release of funds by the state,” said Kakodkar.

GPS collars work by sending a signal to a satellite, which obtains the time and date of the signal sent from the collar. This information is then shared with researchers who can then investigate where the animal is and what it is doing.

There are 47 free-roaming leopards in and around SGNP and Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary. In 2017, there were 41 leopards, 35 in 2015 with an average of eight to 10 leopards moving outside the periphery of SGNP. Aarey Colony in Goregaon has at least six leopards.

“The study will shed light on how leopard population is changing in and around SGNP with new leopards documented during census study and some animals missing or not identified at all in previous ones,” said Sunil Limaye, additional principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife west).

According to the proposal, the study would monitor the density of leopards in SGNP and Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, their movement outside protected areas such as Ghodbunder Road, Nagla Block, and Aarey Colony, and check for population parameters such as turn-over rates, survival, dispersal and movement within this landscape.

“The study will also help understand the dispersal pattern of leopards through corridors extending from Mumbai region to Tansa and Malshej Ghat,” said Limaye.