Four leopards including a five-month cub were found dead in a nearby forest in Pokhara last month. The preliminary findings obtained from the post-mortem report stated that the dead bodies showed presence of poison which the conservationists believe to have been fed by the locals. Similarly, more tests are being carried out to confirm and identify the poison used.

“Though the conflict between man and animal is still one of the biggest challenges, the latest deaths of leopards has left the whole conservation fraternity worried,” said Maheshwor Dhakal, an ecologist with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and a government authority responsible for overseeing protected areas and wildlife.

The latest deaths of these commonly found wildlife in habitats including forests and protected areas along the mid-hills and sometimes along the Tarai plains as well as high mountains has led to discussions among the fraternity on possible efforts to minimise the growing conflicts and most importantly, the retaliatory killings of wildlife by local citizens.

The information we have obtained from Pokhara say the incidents seem to be the result of retaliation after livestock were being killed frequently by the leopards coming out of the forests into nearby human settlements, Dhakal said.

“Lack of compensation and insurance measures for the killed livestock for the local farmers is considered one of the major reasons behind the increasing cases of wildlife killing,” he added.

In recent times, cases of attacks by leopard and vice versa have been reported from different parts of the country including Kavre, Baitadi, Syangja and Dadelhura among others. Similarly, the growing conflict is common for other wildlife including rhino, tigers and elephants in the country.

The current case has made the conservationists realise and identify proper measures including adequate compensation and insurance scheme for livestock for farmers, discussed during the two-day workshop on human-animal conflict that ended in Kathmandu on Saturday.

Likewise, vulnerability assessment and mapping of the issue and relevant solutions to minimise the risks were also touched upon during the workshop.