WATCH: Wildlife department issues dos and don’ts to avoid leopard attacks

Srinagar: Amid rising leopard attacks, Department of Wildlife Protection, Jammu and Kashmir has issued a fresh video advisory to avoid human-wildlife conflict.

Though an updated advisory had been issued recently, the department has now released separate videos in Kashmir and Urdu languages that tell people what precautions to take.

The animated video titled ‘Precautions to be followed by the public to avoid Human-Wildlife conflicts in the Kashmiri language has been uploaded by the Facebook page of the Department of Wildlife Protection.

ADVISORY IN KASHMIRI

The video explains in detail how to avoid conflicts and also keep the children safe from leopard attacks.

A few days back, the department had issued a fresh and detailed regular advisory in Urdu and English in this regard.

The advisory tells people not to move alone in the forest area and that children and women were more vulnerable.

“Children and women are more vulnerable to Leopard / Bear attacks, which can be contained if they move in groups or children are accompanied by an elderly person.  Always move on regular forest paths and avoid shortcuts. Avoid going to forests for collection of wood etc. in the early morning or evening hours, which is the peak activity time for Leopards. Do not chase or try to go near a wild animal if sighted from a distance in the forest areas. Livestock taken to pastures inside forests and near crop fields must be attended by three to four persons. Any type of bell or sound-producing device can be put around the neck of a few cattle. Avoid using bush growths and forest fringe areas for nature calls in the late evening or night hours; this time coincides with peak activity of wild animals,” the advisory stated.

“It is requested to create a community or home toilet facilities to avoid such dangers. People living in the vicinity of forests should also complete their outside activities such as social visits, fetching water from Streams, grazing cattle, collecting household items, etc. during daytime only. Provide sufficient light around your utilities outside your home so that animals do not feel safe in the vicinity. Do not create kitchen dumping around your houses as this invites stray dogs to the spot which in turn invites leopard movement. As dogs are delicacies for these carnivores,” it added.

It further said the people living in the villages needed to remove bushes close to their houses.

“The villagers must regularly remove all bushes or shrubs from the vicinity of houses in a cooperative manner. Such vegetation clearance will increase visibility and help to keep the leopard away from their houses.  The cattle shed in village houses should be constructed, “Leopard Proof” using wooden material or concrete structure. The pet dogs kept in houses can also alarm the presence of predators in the vicinity of houses. It has been observed that whenever a leopard is sighted, people make a lot of noise which can prove dangerous. As such the wild animal feels insecure and can cause damage,” the advisory said.