[vivek95]

Originally Posted by avira_tk

Leopards travel great distances, more than 130 kms
Leopards have adapted to the urban environment better than most predators, they usually avoid people and noise. The prey that attracts them are stray dogs, they are apex predators, so we are fair game.

Thanks. I agree, I live in Mulund West, Mumbai and over here , there have been many incidents of leopards straying into the apartment complexes which are located right at the foothills of Sanjay Gandhi National park.

Originally Posted by bhargav2015

The point being missed is that these areas used to be home and territory of a number of different species of BIG Cats. As forests shrink and man keeps continuously venturing into the wild, clearing it of vegetation and building structures incapable of housing and sheltering other life forms, these "conflicts" are bound to happen. I wish these companies came together and adopted the forests around, prevented its encroachment and committed to preserving it. At the moment it is just wishful thinking on my part. We value life, howsoever little, only when it comes to human life but don't give two hoots about other life forms we share and co-inhabit this planet with.

Thanks. I second you. I have come across news of leopards being spotted in urban areas, but mostly those in the fringe areas of a city/town. Back in my hometown Belgaum - Karnataka, once a full blown tiger strayed into the VTU campus, the technological university that heads all the engineering colleges in Karnataka. VTU is located completely outside Belgaum and very close to the forests. The tiger in the presence of many forest officials jumped high above the compound and escaped This is the first time I see that, a big cat found itself right in the middle of a huge bustling industrial area in Pune. But I agree with you, it was always their territory to begin with.

Originally Posted by Samurai

Leopards often hangout in semi-urban areas when they can prey on dogs. Here in Manipal, leopard sightings over the years is very regular. My staff have seen Leopards while riding home at night.

I just located 4 different leopard stories from Manipal:
]

Thanks sir for the information. I have been to Manipal a couple of times ( driven Mumbai--Manipal--Mumbai solo some 6 times ), hoping to spot a leopard next time around By the way, I guess leopards tend to not become aggressive and attack humans as such out of self defence ?? Also, they are less prone to become man-eaters than tigers I believe, owing to my limited knowledge. My senior was trekking in the Kalsubai region of Maharashtra and halted on the mountains overnight when next morning a leopard appeared right in front of him, say some 2 feet distance, but went away quietly after staring at him for few seconds. My senior was frozen and felt paralysed for that moment.

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

Just north of Chakan/Rajgurunagar towards Manchar is a patch of "no mans" land, with a short ghat section and patchy forest. About 20-25 years ago, this used to look distinctly uninhabited, and with thicker vegetation. So I am not surprised the the leopard is resident in the vicinity. It was always their territory. Looking at these man-animal conflicts of the recent years, I now get the feeling that forests must be left to themselves and that all human settlements must be removed along the edges. I think there is a need NOT to bring cement/concrete (roads/telecom etc) into fringe areas but to rather bring humans into a planned urban environment. This way, forests must be the exclusive preserve of wild animals.

Thanks. I agree, especially the Katraj area of Pune which also is a hilly area with good forest cover and most of those residential layouts and houses dotting the Katraj hills are illegal, I learnt.

[bhargav2015]

Originally Posted by vivek95

Thanks. I second you. I have come across news of leopards being spotted in urban areas, but mostly those in the fringe areas of a city/town. Back in my hometown Belgaum - Karnataka, once a full blown tiger strayed into the VTU campus, the technological university that heads all the engineering colleges in Karnataka. VTU is located completely outside Belgaum and very close to the forests. The tiger in the presence of many forest officials jumped high above the compound and escaped .

Yeah I know. I studied at BMS College of Engineering and it was affiliated to the VTU. To go to VTU Belgaum for original certificates was a pain.

I see quite a few folks from Manipal here, which is an hours drive. Awesome indeed.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by vivek95

By the way, I guess leopards tend to not become aggressive and attack humans as such out of self defence ?? Also, they are less prone to become man-eaters than tigers I believe, owing to my limited knowledge.

Leopard attacking humans is extremely rare, unless it is cornered. Most sightings around Manipal never makes into the newspapers. Leopards are very good at hiding from humans while hanging around human habitat. They are often caught by CCTV cameras though, mainly at night.

[fhdowntheline]

I was staying at Anand Van Bhuvan hotel in Mahabaleshwar some years ago (near Kates Point). It is almost at the edge of the valley facing the Balkawadi/Dhom dam. The manager at the hotel told us that leopards used to come to the hotel entrance from the nearby forest and they lost 2/3 of their pet guard dogs as prey. So basically, he advised us not to venture out of the hotel beyond the lit up perimeter, and the main road was anyway unlit. The other "beast" in that particular area was the huge Gaur which roam about in the late hours. Another near-encounter was at an MTDC lodge in Amboli, the lodge itself was in a completely ramshackle condition, with all kinds of creepy/crawlies in the rooms (this was nearly 30 years ago). In the early morning, the guard knocked on our door and warned us that there was a leopard at the well right next to the lodge building and that we need to be careful. Needless to stay, we moved out of the lodge into another hotel nearby.

[AJITHAAA]

Mercedes needs cat reflex consultations at the Woking plant. But looks like that was also outsourced to Indian cats and due to budget cuts he did the best he could do.

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Leopard caught on CCTV near Bangalore

Bangalore Mirror report

A leopard was spotted at the Rail Wheel Factory campus in Yelahanka on Saturday night. Sources said that the leopard had sneaked into the campus in the night and it was captured in the CCTV

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