Coexisting With Large Carnivores: A Case Study From Western Duars, India

Human wildlife conflict usually occurs where the requirements of humans and wildlife overlap, and is often severest in areas where a wide range of species coexist with high-density human populations. The implications of... [ view full abstract ]

Human wildlife conflict usually occurs where the requirements of humans and wildlife overlap, and is often severest in areas where a wide range of species coexist with high-density human populations. The implications of human-carnivore conflict are many-fold ranging from fear to fatal attacks. Such implications provoke a negative attitude towards the concerned carnivore, often resulting in retaliatory killings. Translocation of “problem animals” is the most common solution practised by the forest department in India. Our study looked at intensity, and patterns of conflict between humans and leopards in the western Duars region of the State of West Bengal, India. We also aimed to examine the relation between translocation and conflict, and assess the stakeholders’ perception of conflict and leopards. Compensatory records and details of retaliatory killings were collected between 2001 and 2008. Forest department officials and victims and families of leopard attacks were interviewed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and the local perception towards leopards and elephants, another “problem animal” in the region, was analysed. We found a significant upsurge of conflict levels in the area over time. Tea estates were identified as the “hotspots of conflict” with majority of conflict incidents (90%) reported from there. Over the years 2005 and 2006, the forest department had released eleven captured leopards into Gorumara National Park, a protected area located within our study area. Significant increase in conflict levels was found in tea estates adjoining Gorumara National Park from the year 2005 to the year 2007, suggesting that translocation instead of solving anything may instead be shifting the conflict to a new location, where it previously did not exist. Although the attitude of the locals towards human–leopard conflict was mild compared to their pre-occupation with the human–elephant conflict prevalent in the area, there was a marked difference in their attitude towards the two animals, with elephants being treated with reverence among many (as it was perceived as a manifestation of an Indian deity Ganesha), while the leopard mostly evoked animosity and fear. Our study has come up with important recommendations towards drafting management plans for the region.