The Kathmandu Valley has a feral fear to worry about, as a recent incident reminded us. The Panthera pardus, Kathmandu’s resident ‘Big cat’ species, has been making regular appearances, arousing public panic and media fervour. Data from the past five years record the rescue of around 10 to 15 leopards from settlements in the Valley. As the prime habitat for these highly territorial carnivores, the once densely forested hills surrounding the Valley, has been facing steady encroachment by a growing urban populace, a spate of human-wildlife encounters is proving worrisome.

Though the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation maintains that the depletion of forest cover has led to a change in patterns of prey, there have been no measures to reverse the trend. The scarcity of wild prey is driving leopards to hunt an attractive, urban food source in the form of stray dogs and cattle. This has caused inevitable human-leopard encounters, the most recent of which occurred in Gothatar on Tuesday. A beleaguered leopard spent the day in a tree and made a stealthy escape under the cover of night. Gothatar, which lies on the outskirts of the Valley, has seen regular appearances of big cats, with an encounter in 2013 ending with the death of a leopard and the injury of 15 people.   

A woeful lack of trained human personnel was highlighted by the inability of the Wildlife Rescue Team and the Central Zoo to stage a successful rescue of the wild creature. Equally distressing is the fact the Central Zoo readily admits to its inability to provide proper care and treatment to orphaned and rescued wildlife. 

Just as leopards have been assailing the Valley, other buffer zones where human settlements and national parks border one another have also seen a rise in deadly animal attacks. Over 11 deaths have been caused by elephants, tigers, and rhinos across the country in the last nine months alone.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s recent announcement to pledge Rs50 million for the snow leopard conservation programme deserves appreciation. However, conservation efforts should also address the need to reduce incidents of human-wildlife conflict by addressing zoning issues and improving habitats. While more resources for rapid rescue and rehabilitation could prevent fatalities, research on wildlife distribution patterns and behaviour could prove beneficial to ensure peaceful co-existence between animals and humans. With urban expansion showing no signs of slowing down, the effects of human encroachment on wildlife habitat require immediate attention so as to avert more casualties.