Myths about bats

Concept       : Rajesh Puttaswamaiah
Illustrations : Rohan Chakravarty
Translation  : Parikshit Suryavanshi

English & Marathi

Marathi Version

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A voice from the waste box

Ashabai Doke

Ashabai Doke is an ecofriendly entrepreneur from Aurangabad, Maharashtra. She is associated with Civic Response Team (CRT^) - an organization from the same city working in the field of solid waste management. She is also the chief organizer a union of wastepickers in Aurangabad.

She manages dry waste collection shops and provides better earnings to seven wastepicker women. Her efforts have been instrumental in improving working conditions and income of other 40 wastepickers/sanitary workers. In association with CRT and Aurangabad Municipal Corparation, she looks forward to expand her work and improve the life conditions of many more such workers. 

She was invited to Paris for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – Conference of the Parties 21 (UNFCCC CoP21) to share her experiences and thoughts however unfortunately she couldn’t go.

A wastepicker turned an entrepreneur here she shares her extraordinary life journey.

FROM A WASTE PICKER TO AN ENTREPRENEUR, PLEASE SHARE YOUR LIFE JOURNEY WITH US.

I was born in a small village, could learn only up to the 3^rd standard and married off at the age of 12 years. Though I was married into a farmers’ family, the region was drought prone and agriculture was a lost cause. We moved to Aurangabad 25 years ago. Initially tried my hand on other works but couldn’t get any regular one. Finally went for picking waste with some relative women who were living nearby. I stepped into the pile of waste some 20 years ago and I am still in the same business, just slightly better placed than others.    

The scrap dealer to whom I was selling my collection had sold his shop to someone else. The new shop owner was cutting on weight saying the waste is wet and it weighs more. One day, even after the end of monsoon and the waste being dry he cut on my weight. I asked him, “Why do you do this? I won’t sell my collection to you.” He said, “You have no option, where will you sell?” I took it as a challenge. I took a piece of land on lease for Rs.2000 per month and started collecting waste material there. After a month bigger scrap dealer came to me and offered 2 to 3 rupees extra after each kilo of each scrap item (i.e. paper, cardboard, plastic bags, water bottles etc). Thus my business took off in 2010.

After a few months I fell ill. I couldn’t run the set up for the next four years. I kept paying the rent. My whole family had to adopt several austerity measures to manage this unproductive expenditure. However we did because we wanted to retain the place which otherwise could have been lost immediately. Even now the other scrap dealers try to snatch it from me. They approach the landlady and offer more rent but as the lady has greater faith in me she has not given in to them.

In January 2015, with the help of a woman relative I reopened my shop. She gave me Rs. 30,000, with this money I paid the debt of three wastepicker women and freed them from a scrap dealer. After some time, advocate Umarikar also helped with Rs.50,000 and now I have seven women selling their waste directly to me and 40 others working with me through a contractor from Waluj.

Sorting lives : around 50 wastepicker and sanitary workers sell their waste to Ashabai.
Photo : Parikshit Suryavanshi

YOU SAID YOU FREED THE WOMEN, WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

In the time of crisis like illness which is quite regular due to the unhygienic working and living conditions, marriage of a girl child etc, wastepicker women have to borrow money from the scrap dealer. He gives money on the condition that the woman will sell her collection to him only. They cheat on weight, cut on rates, however these illiterate women don’t understand it. They are trapped into a vicious cycle.

SETTING FREE A BONDED LABOUR MUST NOT BE EASY. ARE THERE ANY LEGAL ISSUES? KINDLY ELABORATE ON THIS.

Actually this is an informal transaction. There are no written documents. However a scrap dealer knows how to recover his money. For him, it is rather an investment. He uses all sorts of argument and convincing tactics to retain the wastepickers.

When I pay the debt of a wastepicker woman and free her from a scrap dealer it certainly irritates him. But they don’t argue with me as they understand it is a part of the business. However they do indulge in creating problems for me.  

Full of problems, unending debt, deception and exploitation - life of wastepickers is abysmally hopeless. Ashabai, being one of them, is trying to bring some light to their lives.

Photo – Parikshit Suryavanshi

HOW WAS YOUR DAILY ROUTINE AS A WASTEPICKER?

I would get up at half past three or four, prepare food for the entire family and leave for collection by five in the morning. Collect waste till one in the afternoon. Then come to the scrap dealer where the sorting took us at least three hours. Thus I could return home only after 12 hours at around five pm, after which I had to do household works like preparing food, cleaning vessels, washing clothes etc. I couldn’t sleep before 10 at night. Every wastepicker woman lives almost the same routine.

HOW DID YOU COME IN CONTACT WITH CRT?

I used to collect waste in Sindhi colony of Aurangabad but couldn’t go for sometime due to illness. One day I went and I saw Natasha Zarine and Gauri Mirashi of CRT, they were working on a solid waste management project there. They told me not to collect waste in that area. Their assumption was wastepickers scatter the waste. They had also appointed two wastepicker women to collect waste directly from the households however they were collecting only quality plastic that can fetch better price and leaving plastic bags behind.

I argued with Natasha and Gauri that I collect waste from this area for several years and they could not expel me like this. They agreed to let me collect in the other part of the same colony. When they saw my work they liked it. We got to know each other, and they accommodated me in their work. Now I accompany them in every new area they start a project. Usually the wastepickers don’t listen to anybody and just do what they want however when they see me as one of them and how I made my progress they are convinced. I responsibility is to teach them how to collect all dry waste material and keep the surroundings clean.

IS CRT HELPING OTHER WASTEPICKERS TOO?

Yes. CRT’s work is a great help. In Waluj, an industrial suburb of Aurangabad, CRT has implemented a solid waste management project wherein dry and wet wastes are segregated at source and collected differently. Wet waste is composted and dry waste is brought to my shop, the second one, started with the help of CRT. There are 40 contracted wastepickers and sanitary workers. Earlier they were given 3000 rupees per month that too not on time, now, after implementation of the project they receive Rs.6000 per month in hand and Rs.1700 towards Provident Fund. The money generated from dry waste is also distributed among them. CRT has made all these arrangements.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO FOR THE WASTEPICKERS?

Quality of life of wastepickers can be improved if they get the full remuneration for their waste collection. This is possible if their debts are paid and they are freed from the clutches of the fraud scrap dealers. For this, I will have to expand my business and pay their debts. There are seven to eight thousand wastepickers in the city I want to set free as many as possible.

If I receive financial help from an organisation or an individual and if I can free at least 50 women my work will start. Loan taken for paying their debt can be paid in a year and more women can be released.

I need a piece of land to expand my business. There are many such unused sites belonging to the corporation of Aurangabad. If corporation gives me one such piece of land to operate it can help in the welfare of the wastepickers.

Ashabai’s emphasis is on expanding her own business and thereby uplifting her wastepicker sisters by involving them into it.

 Photo – Parikshit Suryavanshi

WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FROM THE GOVERNMENT AND THE SOCIETY?

I request from the depth of my heart to the government to ban the sale of liquor. At every nook and corner of a slum area there is a liquor shop. The children of poor are easily getting addicted. Husbands harass their wives, take away their hard earned money and waste it on drinking. It has destroyed and is destroying innumerable poor families. Stern steps must be taken to stop this havoc.  

Second thing, we don’t want our children to be wastepickers. They must be educated. Life conditions of wastepickers are so bad that they can’t even think of educating their children. The abject poverty bound their children to accompany them to the field. Thus they are thrown into this business from their very childhood.

The dirty look of some people towards a wastepicker woman and false allegations of theft are also important concerns.

Frequent illness is also a major cause of misery. People throw unhygienic waste into the garbage. It hurts them. Such wastes should be disposed of in a scientific manner. Government should provide free and quality health services to this lowest stratum of the society.

Government needs to do a proper survey of wastepickers in the city. Today fake wastepickers usurp benefits of the government schemes meant for wastepickers.

KINDLY TELL US SOME OF THE MOST MEMORABLE INCIDENTS FROM YOUR LIFE?

Once an eighteen year old boy attempted to rape a seven year old girl of a wastepicker woman. Her parents went to the police station. The authorities, instead of filing an FIR took their complaint on a blank paper. They made no enquiries and no arrests. When I came to know of the incident I gathered some women and went them to the police station. We insisted that the FIR should be registered and the boy must be arrested. If he is absconding his parents must be arrested or else we will sit on “Dharana”. The police then agreed to our demands and arrested the boy. Now the case is going on in the court. The girl’s parent felt intimidated and thought of leaving the place but we assured them that our organization will stand behind them. They felt secure with this support.

In another incident a wastepicker sister died in a blast that took place in a waste pile. No attention was paid by government in this matter. We, through our organization went to see the collector and got an aid of Rs.30,000 for her family. I feel sad that we could do only this little for her and the culprits remained unpunished.

Some people make false allegations of thievery on wastepickers. The organization immediately intervenes and the false allegations are taken back which otherwise could turn into lot of harassment. Such is the pressure of the organization.

All these memories are painful as well as satisfying. Painful because I see my wastepicker sisters suffering a lot and satisfying in the sense that I could at least do something for them.

HOW WERE YOU INVITED TO UNFCCC CoP21 AT PARIS? WHY YOU COULDN’T GO? HOW DID YOU FEEL?

Natasha Zarine of CRT gave a presentation at a conference organized by Alliance of Indian Wastepickers (AIW) in Hyderabad. There she told my story of becoming an entrepreneur from a wastepicker. The AIW people were quite impressed. They applied to UNFCCC CoP21 through Indian Youth Climate Network (IYCC) for my participation. Thus I was selected and invited to talk on my life struggle, sustainable and equitable solid waste management solutions and a cleaner, better and equitable world for all.

I couldn’t get my visa to go to Paris. Its reasons are yet unknown to me. However we tried our best till the last moment. We were greatly shocked due to the cancellation of my journey. We felt sorry. I was to represent the people who are most affected by climate change. Sadly I couldn’t take their voice to the world.

Parikshit Suryavanshi

suryavanshipd@gmail.com

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First published in The Hindu's Bussiness Line Ink :

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/know/ashabai-doke-the-woman-who-began-picking-waste-to-sustain-her-family-is-now-an-entrepreneur/article8223686.ece

सफर शहरी बिबट्यांच्या अद्भुत जगात

बऱ्याच वर्षांपासून निकीतला हा फोटो घ्यायचा होता. अहवाल प्रसिद्ध झाल्यानंतर हा फोटो ‘मुंबईचा बिबट्या’ म्हणून खूप प्रसिद्ध झाला. आपल्या मजबूत शरीरामुळे या बिबट्याला ‘बिग डेडी’ हे नाव मिळाले. फोटो : निकीत सुर्वे/एसजीएनपी/डब्ल्यूआयआय/डब्ल्यूसीएस

एक होतकरू तरुण वन्यजीव संशोधक, निकीत सुर्वे हा वाईल्डलाईफ इंस्टीट्युट ऑफ इंडिया, देहरादून या मानांकित संस्थेचा पदव्युत्तर पदवीचा विध्यार्थी आहे. 

निकीत सुर्वे, एक मुंबईकर तरुण, वाईल्डलाईफ इंस्टीट्युट ऑफ इंडिया या संस्थेत पदव्युत्तर शिक्षण घेत असतांना आपल्या अभ्यासक्रमाचा एक भाग म्हणून निकीतने नुकतेच संजय गांधी राष्ट्रीय उद्यानातील बिबट्यांवर एक संशोधन केले. आपल्या विविध वैशिष्ट्यांमुळे हे संशोधन प्रसार माध्यमांमध्ये बरेच गाजले. हा प्रकल्प वनविभाग, महाराष्ट्र शासन यांच्या सहकार्याने पार पडला. या प्रकल्पाचे अभ्यासक्षेत्र जवळपास १४० वर्ग किमी इतके होते ज्यात आरे कॉलोनीसह उद्यान आणि त्याच्या आजूबाजूच्या परिसराचा समावेश होता. या क्षेत्रात एकूण ३५ बिबटे आढळून आले.

उद्यानात बिबट्याच्या वन्य भक्ष्यांचे आणि उद्यानाच्या परिघावरील भागात कुत्र्यांचे प्रमाणही भरपूर आढळून आले.

बिबट्यांच्या विष्टेच्या अभ्यासातून असे आढळून आले कि संजय गांधी उद्यानातील बिबट्यांच्या आहारात वन्य तसेच पाळीव अशा दोन्ही प्रकारच्या प्राण्यांचा समावेश आहे. जर त्यांच्या भक्ष्यांची संख्या (वन्य आणि पाळीव दोन्ही) पुरेशी असेल आणि त्यांचा अधिवास सुरक्षित असेल तर बिबटे  मुंबईसारख्या शहरी भागातही माणसांसोबत राहू शकतात. या अभ्यासाच्या काळात मानवी वस्तीत येऊनही बिबट्यांकडून माणसांवर एकही हल्ला झाला नाही.

चला तर जाणून घेऊयात निकीत सुर्वे यांच्याकडून या प्रकल्पावर काम करतांना त्यांना आलेले अनुभव, माणसांनी भरलेल्या मुंबईतील बिबट्यांची जीवनपद्धती आणि आणखीही बरेच काही.

उद्यान परिघावरील भागातील एक भटके कुत्रे. बिबट्याच्या आहारात वन्य भक्ष्यांचा वाटा ५७% असून पाळीव प्राण्यांचा ४३% आहे. एकट्या कुत्र्यांचा वाटा २४.४६% इतका आहे*. 

 फोटो : निकीत सुर्वे/एसजीएनपी/डब्ल्यूआयआय/डब्ल्यूसीएस

तुम्ही वन्यजीव अभ्यासाकडे कसे काय वळलात?

पक्षी आणि प्राण्यांची मला लहानपणापासून आवड होती. चिमण्या पाहण्यात आणि रस्त्यावरच्या कुत्र्यांशी खेळण्यात मी रमत असे. सुट्ट्यांमध्ये प्राणीसंग्रहालयात जाणे एक पर्वणी असायची जिची मी आतुरतेने वाट पाहत असे. लहानपणी माझी आई, माझे इतर नातेवाईक आणि नंतर शाळा-कॉलेजातील माझे शिक्षक सर्वांनीच मला या क्षेत्रात काम करण्यासाठी प्रोत्साहन दिले. मला योग्य वेळी योग्य मार्गदर्शक मिळत गेले हे मी माझे सुदैव समजतो.

या प्रकल्पाच्या निमित्ताने वन विभागासोबत काम करण्याचा तुमचा अनुभव कसा होता?

हा एक संयुक्त प्रकल्प होता ज्यात वन विभागाचा बरोबरीचा सहभाग होता. यात सुरुवातीला आम्ही बऱ्याच कार्यशाळा घेतल्या ज्यात मी बीट गार्डसना लाईन ट्रान्झेक्ट, कॅमेरा ट्रेपिंग, कॅमेरा कसा लावावा, सुरु कसा करावा, बंद कसा करावा इत्यादी बाबींचे प्रशिक्षण दिले. प्रत्यक्ष काम करतांना वन विभागाचे कर्मचारी नेहमीच माझ्यासोबत असायचे. एकावेळी आम्ही १०-१५ कॅमेरे लावत असू. एका कॅमेरा ट्रॅपची जबाबदारी एका बीट गार्डकडे दिली जात असे. मी सकाळी एखाद्या बीट गार्डसोबत तर संध्याकाळी दुसऱ्यासोबत कॅमेरे लावलेल्या जागांची पाहणी करत असे जेणेकरून त्यांना आपण एकटेच काम करत आहोत असे वाटू नये. वन विभागातील कर्मचाऱ्यांसोबत काम करतांना मला खूप काही शिकायला मिळाले. याचबरोबर या प्रकल्पात मला मोलाची साथ दिली ती वन मजूरांनी, वन मजूर म्हणजे प्रत्यक्ष ग्राउंड लेवलवर काम करणारी माणसे. पण खर सांगतो यांच्या अनुभवजन्य ज्ञानाला तोड नाही. त्यांनी मला आपल्यातलाच एक मानले आणि त्यांना असलेली सर्व माहिती माझ्याशी मनापासून शेअर केली याबद्दल मी त्यांचे आभार मानले तितके थोडे आहेत. दिवसभर जंगलात फिरून थकून गेल्यानंतर त्यांच्यासोबत त्यांच्या हातची भाजी-भाकरी खाण्यातला आनंद केवळ अवर्णनीयच होता.

कॅमेरा ट्रॅप बसवणे हे जिकीरीचे काम असते. निकीतला या कामात बरीच मदत घ्यावी लागली.

 फोटो : निकीत सुर्वे/एसजीएनपी/डब्ल्यूआयआय/डब्ल्यूसीएस

एकीकडे असं म्हटलं जात कि बिबट्या हा लाजाळू प्राणी आहे आणि तो माणसांना टाळतो आणि दुसरीकडे असं आढळून येत कि तो शिकार करायला (कुत्र्यांची) मानवी वस्तीत येतो, असं का?    

बिबट्या माणसांना टाळत नाही तो माणसांच्या दृष्टीस येणं टाळतो. बाहेर पडून माणसांच्या नजरेस न पडता आपल काम (शिकार) करण्याची योग्य वेळ कोणती हे त्याला बरोबर कळतं. बिबटे मानवाच्या सानिध्यात दीर्घकाळापासून राहत आलेले आहेत आणि माणसांसोबत कसे जागावे हे ते शिकले आहेत. याशिवाय तुमच्या दुसऱ्या प्रश्नाचे उत्तर तसे सोपे आहे तो मानवी वस्तीत का येतो तर ‘सोप्या आणि भरपूर प्रमाणात उपलब्ध असलेल्या’ भक्ष्यासाठी.  

कॅमेरा ट्रॅप्स बसवण्यासाठी योग्य जागेची निवड कशी केली जाते?

यासाठी आम्हाला अप्रत्यक्ष प्रमाणांवर अवलंबून राहावं लागतं जसे बिबट्यांची विष्टा, त्यांच्या पायांचे ठसे, स्क्रेप्स इत्यादी. प्रकल्पाच्या सुरुवातीला डिसेंबर आणि जानेवारी महिन्यात आम्ही जंगलात फक्त हे पुरावे शोधण्यासठी फिरत होतो, दररोज एक किंवा दोन फॉरेस्ट बीट इतकं आम्ही चालायचो. अप्रत्यक्ष प्रमाणांएवढीच महत्त्वाची दुसरी गोष्ट म्हणजे स्थानिक लोकांना बिबटे कोणते रस्ते वापरतात, कोठे पाणी पितात हे चांगलं माहिती होतं. या दोन्ही गोष्टींच्या मदतीने आम्हाला एकदा बिबट्या कोठे केमेऱ्यात येईल ही माहिती मिळाली कि आम्ही अशा जागा निवडायचो जेथून कॅमेरा सहसा चोरीला जाणार नाही.

कॅमेरा ट्रॅप बसवणे हे विशेष कौशल्याचे काम आहे. कॅमेरा ट्रॅप बसवतांना त्याची जमिनीपासूनची उंची, समोरासमोरील कॅमेऱ्यांतील कोन, प्राणी वापरात असलेले रस्ते, पाणवठे इत्यादी अनेक गोष्टींचा विचार करावा लागतो. 

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अशी मदत मिळायला तुम्हाला स्थानिक लोकांची मने जिंकावी लागली असतील?

नक्कीच, स्थानिक लोकांच्या मदतीला तर पर्यायाच नाही. बीट गार्डस आणि वन मजूर हे या प्रकल्पातील माझे साथी होते. आम्ही सोबत फिरत असू, सोबत जेवण करत असू आणि अप्रत्यक्ष प्रमाण शोधण्याच आमच कामही आम्ही सोबतच करत असू. यामुळे आमच्या संबंधात खूप आपुलकी निर्माण झाली. जेवढे बिबट्यांचे फोटो मिळाले त्यांची नावे आम्ही स्थानिक लोकांशी चर्चा करूनच ठेवली आहेत. बऱ्याचदा या बिबट्यांना ते “आपले बिबटे” म्हणून संबोधत.

बिबट्यांना नावे! अरे वाह! काही उदाहरणे द्याल?

चांदणी : चांदणीचा फोटो जिथे मिळाला त्याच्या जवळच एका आजीबाईंची झोपडी होती. माझं जंगलातलं काम संपलं कि मी तिच्या ओसरीत येऊन बसत असे आणि तिच्याशी गप्पा मारत असे. यावेळी मी तिला आम्हाला मिळालेली बिबट्यांची छायाचित्रेही दाखवत असे. गप्पांच्या ओघात एकदा ती म्हणाली कि आदिवासींमध्ये अशी एक समजूत आहे कि, “बिबटे चांदण्या रात्री बाहेर पडतात म्हणून आपण चांदण्या रात्री घराबाहेर पडू नये” (चांदणी रात्र म्हणजे ज्या रात्री चांदण्यांचा उजेड असतो चंद्राचा नाही/अमावस्या). यावरून त्या मादी बिबट्याच नाव चांदणी ठेवलं.

परिस्थितीशी जुळवून घेण्यात बिबट्या (Panthera pardus fusca) हा अत्यंत माहीर प्राणी आहे. तो प्रसंगी उंदीर, घुशीसारखे कृंतक (कुरतडणारे प्राणी) खाऊनही उदरनिर्वाह करू शकतो. 

फोटो : निकीत सुर्वे/एसजीएनपी/डब्ल्यूआयआय/डब्ल्यूसीएस

भुत्या : बिबट्यांच्या दोन्ही बाजूंचे फोटो यावेत म्हणून आम्ही थोड्या फरकाने एकमेकांसमोर दोन कॅमेरे ठेवतो. या बिबट्याचा फोटो एका कॅमेऱ्यात येत असे आणि एकात नाही! यामुळे हा झाला – भुत्या!

एसजीएनपीमधील बिबटे माणसांसोबत राहण्याची कला शिकत आहेत! सध्याच्या काळात मानव-बिबट्या संघर्षात मोठ्या प्रमाणावर घाट झाली आहे. 

फोटो : निकीत सुर्वे/एसजीएनपी/डब्ल्यूआयआय/डब्ल्यूसीएस

मस्तीखोर : कॅमेऱ्याशी झालेल्या आपल्या पहिल्याच भेटीत या बेट्याने कॅमेरा खाली पाडला. एकमेकांसामोरील दोन केमेऱ्यातील एका केमेऱ्याने चार बिबट्यांचे फोटो घेतले कारण त्या रात्री तेथून चार बिबटे गेले होते आणि त्याच्या समोरील कॅमेऱ्याने मात्र एकच फोटो घेतला. त्यातील एकुलता एक फोटो दुसऱ्या दिवशी जवळून बघितला तेव्हा मला कळले कि हा बिबट्या त्या केमेऱ्याकडेच पाहतो आहे. यानंतर निश्चितच हा त्याच्याजवळ गेला आणि याने तो कॅमेरा खाली ओढून पाडला कारण दुसऱ्या दिवशी आम्हाला तो जमिनीवर पडलेला आढळून आला. याच्या या मास्तीखोरीमुळे याचे नामकरण झाले – मस्तीखोर!

मस्तीखोर

पहिल्यांदा कॅमेरा पाहताच या बिबट्याने त्याच्याशी खेळण्याचा प्रयत्न केला आणि तो खाली जमिनीवर पडून टाकला. या मास्तीखोरीमुळे याचे नाव पडले – मस्तीखोर!

 फोटो : निकीत सुर्वे/एसजीएनपी/डब्ल्यूआयआय/डब्ल्यूसीएस

संजय गांधी उद्यानातील एक रानडुक्कर

 कॅमेरा फारसा न आवडणारा हा आणखी एक जण. या फोटो नंतर दुसऱ्यादिवशी संशोधक टीमला हा कॅमेरा खाली जमिनीवर पडलेला आढळून आला. या महाशयांनी तो पाडला होता.

 फोटो : निकीत सुर्वे/एसजीएनपी/डब्ल्यूआयआय/डब्ल्यूसीएस

प्रत्येक बिबट्या वेगळा कसा काय ओळखता येतो?

प्रत्येक बिबट्याच्या पाठीवरील ठिपक्यांची रचना वेगवेगळी आणि एकमेवाद्वितीय असते. जसे प्रत्येक माणसाच्या बोटांचे ठसे वेगवेगळे असतात. डाव्या-उजव्या हातांचे ठसे जसे वेगळे असतात तसेच बिबट्यांच्या डाव्या-उजव्या पाठीवरील ठिपकेही वेगळे असतात. आपण दोन कॅमेरे एकमेकांसमोर ठेवतो परंतु ते एकाचवेळी सुरु होऊ नयेत म्हणून त्यांच्या कोनात थोडा फरक ठेवला जातो. अशाप्रकारे आपल्याला बिबट्याच्या दोन्ही बाजूंची छायाचित्रे मिळतात. मग ही छायाचित्रे इतर सर्व छायाचित्रांशी जुळवून बघितली जातात आणि त्यातून वेगवेगळे बिबटे ओळखता येतात. यासाठी विशिष्ट सॉफ्टवेअरचा वापर केला जातो.

बिबट्यांची ओळख

माणसाच्या बोटांच्या ठशांप्रमाणे (फिंगरप्रिंट्स) प्रत्येक बिबट्याच्या पाठीवरील ठिपक्यांची रचना एकमेवाद्वितीय असते! त्यांच्या पाठीच्या ठिपक्यांच्या रचनेवरून ओळखले गेलेले तीन वेगवेगळे बिबटे. फोटो : निकीत सुर्वे/एसजीएनपी/डब्ल्यूआयआय/डब्ल्यूसीएस

संजय गांधी राष्ट्रीय उद्यान आणि त्याच्या आजूबाजूच्या परिसरात नेमके ३५ च बिबटे आहेत हे एवढ्या खात्रीने तुम्ही कसे सांगू शकता?

नेमके ३५ च असे नाही तर त्यात १ कमी किंवा १ अधिक असा हा आकडा आहे. ही गणना वैज्ञानिक पद्धतीद्वारे केली गेलेली आहे जी तिच्या तांत्रिकतेमुळे येथे समजावून सांगणे थोडे अवघड आहे. यासाठी आम्ही मार्क कॅप्चर रिकॅप्चर पद्धतीचा अवलंब केला. (Spatially Explicit Capture Recapture model). समजा, एका तळ्यात काही माशे आहेत. आपण या तळ्यात एक जाळे टाकले आणि काही माशे पकडले. त्यांच्यावर विशिष्ट खुण केली आणि परत तळ्यात सोडून दिले. परत जाळे टाकले. यावेळी आपल्या जाळ्यात काही चिन्हित आणि काही अचिन्हीत (खुणा न केलेले) माशे पकडले गेले. पुन्हा पकडले जाण्याच्या संभाव्यतेवरून (probability) आपण माशांची एकूण संख्या ठरवतो.

बिबट्यांच्या बाबतीत चिन्ह म्हणून आपण त्यांच्या एकमेवाद्वितीय ठशांच्या रचनेचा वापर करतो. कॅमेरा ट्रॅपद्वारे मिळालेल्या छायाचित्रांची तुलना करून याच पद्धतीद्वारे त्यांची संख्या ठरवली जाते. मिळालेल्या माहितीचे रुपांतर सांख्यिकीय स्वरुपात करून ती एका कम्प्युटर सॉफ्टवेअरमध्ये भरली जाते. एकदा आपण सर्व माहिती त्यात भरली कि ते सॉफ्टवेअर त्या माहितीवर प्रक्रिया करून स्वतः गणना आणि माहितीचे विश्लेषण करते. अशाप्रकारे सर्व माहिती त्यात टाकल्यानंतर आम्हाला ०.५ च्या स्टेंडर्ड एररसह (मानक त्रुटी) ३५ हा आकडा मिळाला (म्हणजेच अधिक किंवा उणे ०.५). आम्हाला बिबट्यांची एकूण ८८ छायाचित्रे मिळाली.  

वाहत्या पाण्याखाली बिबट्याची विष्टा धुतांना निकीत

 बिबट्याच्या विष्टेतील न पचलेले भक्ष्यांचे केस, नखे इत्यादींचा अभ्यास करून त्याच्या आहाराचे विश्लेषण करण्यात आले. 

 फोटो : निकीत सुर्वे/एसजीएनपी/डब्ल्यूआयआय/डब्ल्यूसीएस

काम करतांना तुम्हाला आलेले अविस्मरणीय अनुभव आमच्याशी शेअर कराल?

बिबटा पाहायचा असं ठरवून जेव्हा कधी मी जंगलात गेलो तेव्हा मला बिबट्या कधीच दिसला नाही. मला बिबटे फक्त तीन वेळेस दिसले परंतु बिबट्यांना मात्र मी अनेकदा दिसलो हे मी अगदी खात्रीने सांगू शकतो. याच कारण म्हणजे बिबट्याचं छालावरण (camouflage) धारण करण्यात पटाईत असणं. एकदा मी माझ्या मित्रासोबत कन्हेरी लेणीच्या वरील पठारावरून चालत जात होतो आणि आम्हाला दूरवर एक बिबट्या दिसला. दुरून तो एखाद्या छोट्या पक्ष्याएवढाच दिसत असेल, पाठीमागे मावळत्या सूर्याचे सुंदर लालसर आकाश आणि त्यावर बिबट्याची काळसर आकृती, खरंच अविस्मरणीय होते ते दृश्य! अगदी आजही डोळ्यांसमोर जसेच्या तसेच उभे राहते.

याच प्रकल्पातील आणखी एक हृदयस्पर्शी आठवण आहे. प्रत्यक्ष जंगलात काम करतांना मला मदत करणारा माझा एक सहकारी वन मजूर हा आधी वन विभागाच्या रोपवाटिकेत काम करीत असे. प्रकल्पाच्या काळात तो पहाटे ५ वाजता कामावर येई आणि रात्री ८ वाजता घरी जाई. मी त्याला विचारले कि बाबारे तू इतके कष्ट का घेतो आहेस? तर तो म्हणाला, “मला जंगलात जायला खूप आवडते. तुमच्यासोबत काम करतांना मला ही संधी मिळाली याचा मला खूप आनंद आहे नाहीतर मी रोपवाटिकेतच राहिलो असतो.” तो विवाहित होता आणि त्याला दोन मुलेही होती. त्याचे उत्पन्न कसेतरी हातातोंडाची गाठ पडेल इतकेच होते परंतु तो भविष्याची चिंता न करता अगदी मनापासून आणि सर्वस्व झोकून देऊन काम करत असे. त्याच्याकडे पाहून मला असे वाटत असे कि लोकांना त्यांच्या आवडीचे काम करू दिल्यास ते अगदी अभूतपूर्व असे काम करून दाखवू शकतात. माझ्यासाठी तो नेहमीच एक प्रेरणास्त्रोत ठरेल.

या प्रकल्पातील तुमची आवडती छायाचित्रे आणि त्यामागील गोष्टी आमच्या वाचकांना सांगा.

अशी काही छायाचित्रे आहेत त्यातील दोनबद्दल येथे सांगतो.

बिग डेडी (मुंबईचा बिबट्या) : २०१२ मध्ये, मी ‘मुंबईकर्स फॉर एसजीएनपी’ नावाच्या एका प्रकल्पासाठी स्वयंसेवक म्हणून काम करत होतो. यावेळी माझ्याकडे एका केमेऱ्या ट्रॅपची जबाबदारी देण्यात आली होती जो जमिनीपासून उंच जागेवर लावण्यात आला होता. या कॅमेरा ट्रॅपकडे पाहून मी नेहमी अशी कल्पना करीत असे कि कधीतरी मी असा एक फोटो मिळवीन ज्यात बिबट्या आणि त्याच्या पाठीमागे हे प्रचंड पसरलेले शहर दिसून येईल. मग माझा स्वतःचा प्रकल्प करण्याची वेळ आली तेव्हा मी अशी जागा निवडली जेथे बिबट्या येतो हे मला माहित होते आणि त्या ठिकाणी पाठीमागे शहराचे दृश्यही दिसत होते. ते उन्हाळ्याचे दिवस होते आणि थोड्या वणव्याने त्या जागी एक खिडकीसारखी जागा तयार झाली होती जिच्या दोन्ही बाजूला वाळलेले गवत असून मधली जागा मोकळी होती. त्याठिकाणी कॅमेरा लावल्यानंतर जवळपास २-३ दिवसांनी मला माझ्या स्वप्नातील ते छायाचित्र मिळाले. यावेळी मला जो आनंद झाला तो केवळ अवर्णनीय आहे. हा फोटो आता “मुंबईचा बिबट्या’ म्हणून प्रसिद्ध झाला आहे.

पिळदार स्नायूंचा हा बिबट्या अत्यंत बलवान दिसत असल्यामुळे याचे नाव आम्ही “बिग डेडी” आहे.

बिग डेडीचा हा आणखी एक फोटो. पाठीमागे मुंबईचा झगमगाट जणू संजय गांधी राष्ट्रीय उद्यानाच्या या अनभिषिक्त सम्राटाच्या स्वागताला सज्ज झाला आहे.  

 फोटो : निकीत सुर्वे/एसजीएनपी/डब्ल्यूआयआय/डब्ल्यूसीएस

उडणारा बिबट्या : काही प्राणी हे कॅमेरा शाय म्हणजेच केमेऱ्याला घाबरणारे असतात. हा त्यांच्यातलाच एक! जेव्हा हा एका केमेऱ्याजवळ गेला तेव्हा त्या केमेऱ्याने याचा फोटो घेण्यासाठी फ्लेश मारला आणि हा घाबरला. घाबरून पळत असतांना दुसऱ्या केमेऱ्याने याचा फोटो काढला ज्यात याचे तीनही पाय हवेत तरंगतांना दिसतात. हा भित्रा निघाला म्हणून याचे नाव ठेवले – भित्र्या.

उडता बिबट्या – भित्र्या 

हा एक कॅमेरा-शाय (कॅमेऱ्याला घाबरणारा) बिबटा. एका कॅमेऱ्याने याचा फोटो घेण्यासाठी फ्लेश मारला आणि हा घाबरून पाळला. म्हणून याचे नाव ठेवले – भित्र्या!

  फोटो : निकीत सुर्वे/एसजीएनपी/डब्ल्यूआयआय/डब्ल्यूसीएस

तुमचा अहवाल प्रसिद्ध झाला, या अहवालावर वन विभाग, प्रसारमाध्यमे आणि लोकांची प्रतिक्रिया कशी होती?

प्रत्येकाने या अहवालाचे स्वागत केले. या अहवालामुळे वन विभागाला विशेष आनंद झाला कारण आता भविष्यातील निरीक्षणांसाठी बिबट्यांची संख्या आणि त्यांचा आहार याबाबतीतील विश्वसनीय अशी आधारभूत माहिती उपलब्ध झाली. पूर्वी प्रसारमाध्यमांमध्ये बिबट्यांबद्दल खुंखार, खतरनाक, नरभक्षक असे अत्यंत नकारात्मक शब्द आणि त्यांच्या जोडीला मोठ्याने गुरगुरणाऱ्या बिबट्यांचे फोटो वापरले जात असे. परंतु हा अहवाल प्रसिद्ध झाल्यानंतर कमीतकमी एक आठवडाभरतरी प्रसारमाध्यमांमधून बिबट्यांवर अत्यंत चांगले लेख आणि सुंदर फोटो छापून येत होते. याबद्दल खरतर मी प्रसारमाध्यमांचा आभारी आहे. या प्रकारची सकारात्मक प्रसिद्धी बिबट्यांच्या संवर्धनास अत्यंत लाभदायक आहे.

हा अहवाल एसजीएनपीच्या बिबट्यांचे संवर्धन आणि व्यवस्थापन अधिक चांगल्याप्रकारे करण्यास कशाप्रकारे मदत करील असे तुम्हाला वाटते?

एसजीएनपीमधील बिबटे आणि त्यांच्या भक्ष्यांची संख्या यांबद्दल हा अहवाल पायाभूत अशी माहिती पुरवतो. या माहितीचा भविष्यातील निरीक्षणे आणि जनसंख्येच्या तुलनेसाठी खूप उपयोग होऊ शकतो. या प्रकल्पात मोठ्या प्रमाणावर वन विभागाच्या कर्मचाऱ्यांचा सहभाग होता, यात त्यांचे प्रशिक्षण झाले आणि त्यांनी प्रत्यक्ष काम केले. या गोष्टींचा फायदा क्षमता निर्मितीसाठी होतो. आता पुढच्या पातळीवरील अभ्यास करता येईल आणि त्यातून आपल्याला बिबट्यांच्या उद्यानातील आणि उद्यानाबाहेरील हालचालींची माहिती मिळू शकेल.

संजय गांधी राष्ट्रीय उद्यानात आपल्या पिल्लांसह निवांतपणे फिरतांना रान मांजर.

 फोटो : निकीत सुर्वे/एसजीएनपी/डब्ल्यूआयआय/डब्ल्यूसीएस

पाम सिव्हीट

 फोटो : निकीत सुर्वे/एसजीएनपी/डब्ल्यूआयआय/डब्ल्यूसीएस

स्मॉल इंडिअन सिव्हीट

 मुंबईसारख्या शहराच्या मध्यभागी असूनही एसजीएनपीने  अविश्वसनीय अशी जैवविविधता जपली आहे. 

 फोटो : निकीत सुर्वे/एसजीएनपी/डब्ल्यूआयआय/डब्ल्यूसीएस

सांबर, बिबट्याच्या वन्य भक्ष्यांपैकी एक. संजय गांधी उद्यानातील याची घनता ६-८/वर्ग किमी इतकी आहे.

  फोटो : निकीत सुर्वे/एसजीएनपी/डब्ल्यूआयआय/डब्ल्यूसीएस

भविष्यात कोणत्या विषयांवर काम करण्याचा विचार आहे?

मानव-वन्यजीव यांच्यातील आंतरक्रियांचा अभ्यास करण्याचा आणि त्यांतील नकारात्मक आंतरक्रियांवर उपाय शोधण्याचा माझा मानस आहे. वन्यजीवांना आपल्यात सामावून घेण्यास आपण शिकले पाहिजे कारण त्यांच्यापरिने तेही खूप काही करताहेत.

                             

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*Although the frequency of occurrence of dogs was shown to be highest among all other prey species we cannot conclude about the contribution of dogs in leopard’s diet. The reason for this being, frequencies of the identifiable prey remains in the scat do not tell us about the actual proportion of prey type eaten. This is more so when the prey items vary in size to a considerable degree. Smaller prey species have more undigested material (hair) due to higher body surface to mass ratio.

The percentage contribution reported is in terms of relative biomass consumed.

Ref. ECOLOGY OF LEOPARD IN SANJAY GANDHI NATIONAL PARK, MAHARASHTRA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ITS ABUNDANCE, PREY SELECTION AND FOOD HABITS

A report by
Nikit Surve under the supervision of Dr. S. Sathyakumar, Dr. K. Sankar, Dr. Vidya Athreya

First Published in English: in The Hindu Business Line's BLink :

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/explore/leopards-in-the-city/article7766114.ece

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    - परीक्षित सूर्यवंशी

                                            suryavanshipd@gmail.com

Leopards In The City

To get this image was a long cherished wish of Nikit. The iconic photograph received immense fame as the ‘Leopard of Mumbai’ in media. It was named as “Big Daddy” due to its muscular built. 

Nikit Surve, a Mumbai resident, as part of his master’s degree at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, undertook a research project on leopards (Panthera pardus fusca) in Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Mumbai, in collaboration with the Maharashtra Forest Department. The research covering a total area of roughly 140 sq km found 35 leopards in and around the park including the Aarey colony, i. e. a density of 22 leopards/100 sq.km plus or minus 5.

The study also found a healthy presence of common Langur, bonnet Macaque, chital and sambar which constitute the wild prey base of leopards. Dogs on the periphery of SGNP which form a substantial part (24.46%) of the leopard’s diet were found to be present at a density of 17-18/sq.km.

Food habits of leopards were studied by conducting dietary analysis using leopard scat. The study suggests that the leopards are dependent on both wild as well as domestic prey in the study area. Leopards can share spaces with humans even amidst urban environs as long as prey population (both domestic and wild) remain sufficient and their habitat is protected. Not a single attack on humans was reported during the study period despite leopard visitations in the surrounding areas.

Here, Nikit Surve, a young wildlife biologist shares with us his wonderful experiences with the miraculous wildlife of SGNP and incredible facts about leopards that manage to thrive in the heart of the densely populated Mumbai!

Stray dog in the peripheral area of SGNP.

Wild prey contributed to 57% of leopard’s diet whereas domestic prey forms 43%. Dogs alone contributed to 24.46 %*.

HOW DID YOU DECIDE TO STUDY WILDLIFE?

I was interested in wildlife since my childhood, I would enjoy watching sparrows or even street dogs. Going to the zoo was always the most exciting vacation activity. I was lucky to have got the right mentors at the right time, starting from my mother to my relatives, my school and college teachers who always supported and encouraged me.

HOW WAS THE EXPERIENCE OF WORKING WITH THE FOREST DEPARTMENT

This was a collaborative project, with the Forest Department having an equal contribution. We had a number of workshops in which I trained beat guards on conducting line transects, camera trapping, on installing, switching on and off the camera etc. The forest staff was always with me on field. We used to set up 10-15 cameras at a time. I would make one beat guard responsible for one camera location. I visited each location every two-three days, I would go with someone in the morning and someone else in the evening to make them feel they are not alone. This is how we worked. It was a wonderful experience to work with them, I learnt a lot from them. Van majurs are the ground staff and we rarely interact with them but believe me there is a lot to learn from them. I thank them for sharing every bit of information they had and for accepting me as part of their group. At the end of a hard day’s work we would sit down to wonderful food they had cooked.

Setting camera traps is also an arduous task. Nikit needed help to do it. 

ON ONE HAND A LEOPARD TRIES ITS BEST TO AVOID HUMANS AND ON THE OTHER IT COMES INTO HUMAN DOMINATED AREAS FOR PREY?

The leopard doesn’t avoid coming into human-dominated areas, it avoids detection by humans. It knows exactly when is the right time to show up, do its job and not get detected. Leopards have been living in close proximity of humans and they have adapted well to survive with them without being detected. And the answer is pretty simple; the leopard comes into human dominated areas for ‘easy and abundant’ prey.

HOW DID YOU DECIDE THE LOCATIONS OF THE CAMERA TRAPS?

We had to rely on indirect evidences such as scat, pugmarks, scrapes etc. In the initial months of December and January we only walked, walking one or two forest beats daily. Equally important, local people knew very well the paths leopards used, where they drank water etc. Once we knew the leopards’ trails, we selected locations from where camera traps would not be easily stolen.

Setting camera needs special training. Many things like perfect height from the ground, angles of opposite cameras, animal’s paths, water bodies etc. are taken into account.  

THIS MUST HAVE NEEDED YOU TO WIN THE CONFIDENCE OF THE LOCAL PEOPLE.

Of course, local people’s support was absolutely necessary. Beat guards and Van majurs were my companions in this project. We would walk together, eat together and do our work of searching for indirect evidences together. It helped strengthen our bonds. Also all the leopards we got pictures of, we named them after discussion with the locals. They would often refer to these leopards as “our leopards”.

NAMING LEOPARDS? SEEMS INTERESTING! PLEASE GIVE US SOME EXAMPLES.

CHANDANI (MOONLIGHT): Chandani was captured by a camera placed next to a house occupied by a grandmother. Post field work, I would sit in her verandah, gossip with her, show her the images. She would say that tribals believed that “Leopards roam on starry nights, so on these nights we should not move out” (starry night signified no moon night/Amavas).

Leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) is an astonishingly adaptive species. It can even survive on rodents in desperate times.

BHOOTYA (THE GHOST): We put two cameras opposite each other to capture both flanks. This leopard would get captured in one camera and not in the other! This happened two-three times so we named it – Bhootya!

Leopards of SGNP are learning the art of living with humans! In recent time significant reduction in conflict has been noted. 

MASTIKHOR (MISCHIEF MAKER): On his very first encounter with the camera this leopard brought the camera down. When I looked at the images closely I noticed that this leopard is looking at the camera. Most probably the very next moment he must have gone there and slapped the camera.  We named it Mastikhor.

Mastikhor 

On its very first encounter with the camera this leopard played with it and tried to bring it down. So it was called Mastikhor – the mischief maker!

Wild pig of SGNP

This is another ‘not-so-friendly with camera’ individual. The research team found the camera fallen on the ground as the wild boar had hit it.

HOW DO YOU INDENTIFY INDIVIDUAL LEOPARDS?

At the finalized location we set two camera traps opposite to each other to get both flank images of the leopards. These cameras face each other but at a slight angular difference to avoid both the cameras getting triggered at the same time. Every leopard has a unique rosette pattern. This rosette pattern is different on the left and right flank, just as our fingerprints of the left-hand don't match with that of the right. Hence it is important to get images of the both flanks. Once we get the leopard images we compare each image with all other images based on the rosette pattern.

Individual leopard identification

Each leopard has a unique rosette pattern just as each human has a unique fingerprint.

Three unique individuals (a,b,c) identified based on their unique rosette pattern.

HOW DID YOU COUNT LEOPARDS TO AN EXACT FIGURE OF 35?

The number is 35 plus or minus 1. It has been done using a scientific method which is difficult to explain here due to its technical nature. We used Mark Capture Recapture method (Spatially Explicit Capture Recapture model). Let’s say, there is a pond with fish. We put a net into the pond, catch some fish, mark and release them into the pond. We again catch some fish using the net. This time we will have some marked and some unmarked fish. Based on the recapture probability we calculate the total number of fish.

In case of leopards, we use their unique individual rosette pattern as a mark and use the same method with the help of camera trap images. Information thus received is transformed into a statistical format and fed into a software. Once we feed all data the software does the calculations and analysis. Thus it gave us a number of 35 with a standard error of 0.5. (plus or minus 0.5). We got 88 images of leopards in all. 

Nikit, washing leopard scat under running water. 

Diet analysis was conducted using undigested material from leopard scats like hair, nails and claws.

YOUR MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCES DURING YOUR FIELD WORK!

I never saw a leopard when I went looking for it. I only saw them thrice during my entire study but I am pretty sure they must have seen me on many occasions. Simple reason behind this is that the leopard is a master of camouflage and knows very well how to avoid humans. Once while walking on the plateau above Kanheri caves we spotted a leopard at a distance, what an amazing scene it was! It looked nothing larger than a crow but we could see a beautiful silhouette against the backdrop of the setting sun. I can never forget that sighting.

ANY OTHER MOVING EXPERIENCES FROM THIS PROJECT?

One of my field assistants, a Van majur worked in the forest department nursery. During the project he arrived daily at 5 am and left only around 8 pm. When I asked him why he was working so hard he said, “I love to go into jungle. I am so happy to have this opportunity, otherwise I would have remained at the nursery only”. Even the sight of a monkey would excite him. He was married and had two children, his earnings barely made ends meet, however he was not worried about the future and worked with great passion and dedication. Here, I feel it is important to recognize people, let them follow their passion and they will do wonderful work. He will always inspire me.

PLEASE SHARE SOME OF THE STORIES BEHIND YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGES

There are two-three images with interesting stories.

CITY BEHIND LEOPARD (THE BIG DADDY): In 2012, while volunteering on the project, “Mumbaikars for SGNP”, I was responsible for a camera trap located at higher ground. I would imagine that one day I will capture an iconic image in which the sprawling city will be seen behind a leopard. When time came to do my own project I selected that location as I knew that path was used by a leopard. It was summer, and a fire had burnt a sort of window with grass on both sides. After 2-3 days of setting up the camera I got that image of my dreams.  I was thrilled beyond words. This image has become the iconic image for ‘Leopards of Mumbai’. 

He is a big muscular male, we called him “Big Daddy”.

This is another image of Big Daddy roaming at night time. The luminous city behind it makes a perfect background for the uncrowned king of SGNP.

THE FLYING LEOPARD: Some animals are camera-shy. When this leopard came near, one of the cameras flashed, the leopard was terrified and as it ran away the second camera captured it with three legs in the air! We named him Bhitrya– meaning timid in Marathi.

The Flying Leopard –Bhitrya (timid). 

This is a camera-shy leopard. It ran away when a camera flashed to take its photo. Its timidity gave it a name – Bhitrya meaning timid in Marathi!

HOW WAS YOUR REPORT RECEIVED BY THE FOREST DEPARTMENT, MEDIA AND PUBLIC?

Everyone received it positively. The forest department was happy with it as we had a baseline data ready on leopards and their prey for future monitoring. Earlier the leopard was reported negatively in media as dangerous, man eater, dog slayer etc. accompanied with snarling ferocious pictures. But after this report, at least for a whole week, a number of good articles with beautiful pictures of leopards were published in the media. I thank the media for the same. This positive publicity is good for the conservation of leopards.

HOW DO YOU THINK THIS STUDY WILL HELP BETTER CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF LEOPARDS OF SGNP?

This data serves as the baseline data on the leopard and prey population of SGNP and hence will help in further monitoring and comparisons of populations. This study also involved a lot of forest department staff, this helps in capacity building. Further monitoring will help us know about the leopard movement inside as well as outside the park.

Wildlife of SGNP

Jungle cat with kittens

A cat family quite at home in SGNP.

A Palm civet

Small Indian civet

SGNP, a fascinating park in a city heart holds incredible variety of wildlife.

Sambar deer with a good density of 6-8/km² in SGNP is one of the wild preys of the leopard. 

WHAT WILDLIFE ISSUES ARE YOU PLANNING TO WORK ON IN THE FUTURE?

Studying human wildlife interactions and working towards resolving the negative ones. We need to learn to share spaces with wildlife as they are already doing their bit.

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* Although the frequency of occurrence of dogs was shown to be highest among all other prey species we cannot conclude about the contribution of dogs in leopard’s diet. The reason for this being, frequencies of the identifiable prey remains in the scat do not tell us about the actual proportion of prey type eaten. This is more so when the prey items vary in size to a considerable degree. Smaller prey species have more undigested material (hair) due to higher body surface to mass ratio.

The percentage contribution reported is in terms of relative biomass consumed.

Ref. ECOLOGY OF LEOPARD IN SANJAY GANDHI NATIONAL PARK, MAHARASHTRA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ITS ABUNDANCE, PREY SELECTION AND FOOD HABITS

A report by
Nikit Surve under the supervision of Dr. S. Sathyakumar, Dr. K. Sankar, Dr. Vidya Athreya

Interviewed by Parikshit Suryavanshi

suryavanshipd@gmail.com

First Published : in The Hindu Business Line's BLink :

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/explore/leopards-in-the-city/article7766114.ece

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