Pushed to corner, panthers in a ‘State’ of danger?

Is the Rajasthan Forest department sitting on a time bomb? A bomb that is slowly ticking away towards the end of one of the most beautiful big cat species in the state - the panther. It was only a week ago when the body of a panther - with its paws and head chopped off - was recovered from near Beawar city. Another panther’s body without its canines and claws was found last week in the hills near Kerapura village near Bali in Pali district, prior to which the mutilated body of a panther was found in the Bisalpur hills also raising a serious question- Are the rosetted felines being made targets by an organised poaching gang?

Only in the past week, the forest officials have come across three dead panthers with chopped off parts from two bodies. Moreover two panther cubs were found dead in Rajsamand district in the same week that died due to falling into a well. Interestingly, on Saturday the body of another panther was found at Lehra Bakhar hills of Bali in which even the SDM has questioned the forest department over the deaths of these felines.

“According to the laid rules, an investigation into the matter has been initiated. Since the claws and canines were missing, it is just to suspect the hand of a poacher behind the incident,” a forest official posted Pali district said, requesting anonymity. 

But is the department actually geared up to handle the situation? “This is not a new phenomenon but has been happening for a long time in Rajasthan. Even when a panther was trapped in a snare on the outskirts of Jaipur, it did not cause any ripples in the department. The department has been focused only on tiger reserves whereas panthers abound outside of our protected areas in forested areas which have no protection status where any poacher can easily target them. Moreover due to shortage of food in the areas, the felines have started moving out of the jungles and into the villages and towns causing the recent spurt in man-animal conflict as well and falling prey to poachers,” a wildlife conservationist from Jaipur who intricately worked with the forest department for years said, on condition of anonymity.

Interestingly, the department maintains that the Aravallis might be home to a panther population ranging from 600-800 felines. “Even if we take away a maximum of 200 panthers from Sariska and Ranthambhore and other protected areas, there would be about 400 panthers living outside the protected forest range. Who is to look after these felines?” the conservationist asks.

Only in 2017, the forest department officials rescued over half a dozen felines from remotest parts of state where they have never been seen in the past several decades. “Last year we rescued eight panthers that veered into human habitations in Sikar, Tonk, Dausa, Jhunjhunu, Churu and other areas. They could have become target of poachers had they not been rescued,” said Dr. Arvind Mathur, veterinary doctor, Forest department.

FATAL DATA

• In the census conducted in 2010, the number of panthers in the reserve was tagged at 45.
   
• In March 2012, the body of an eight-year-old panther was found with its neck entangled in a trap set up by poachers.
   
• Sariska Tiger Reserve is home to nine tigers.

WILDLIFE VULNERABILITY

Around 377 million, or 33% Indians live in urban areas. This figure is up from 217.18 million & 26% 20 years ago, thus making the fringe areas in these cities vulnerable to “big Cat” intrusion and subsequent attacks.

By 2030, the urban population of India is expected to almost double to nearly the 600 million, according to a 2010 McKinsey report, and the number of million plus-cities is expected to rise from 53 to nearly 75.