Attacked by a leopard: victim says he was trying to save animal

 An Indian labourer who had his scalp ripped off by a rampaging leopard over the weekend has spoken of his horrific ordeal, saying he was trying to save the cat when it turned on him.

Pintu Dey is recovering in hospital in India's northeastern state of Assam after being badly mauled outside his house in an attack captured in a series of startling and gruesome photographs.

"My two children were inside the house and so I went to save them when I found some policemen aiming to shoot the leopard," Dey, who is in his 40s, said from his hospital bed.

 

"I pleaded against killing the cat and literally stood between the policemen and the leopard like a shield, and all of a sudden I found myself attacked and blood splattered all over."

The leopard had strayed into a residential area in the centre of Guwahati, the capital of Assam, and attacked another three people, killing one. Dey also suffered a fractured hand and cuts caused by multiple bites on his hands and legs.

A former journalist and lawyer called Deva Kumar Das succumbed to his injuries on Sunday. The condition of the other two was said to be stable.
Referring to Dey, a doctor in the Wintrobe Hospital said: "I would say the injury is really severe as he lost a lot of blood and his scalp wound is indeed serious."

The cat was later tranquillised by forest officials and taken to the Assam State Zoo in Guwahati. On Monday it was set free in a tiger reserve in Manas, western Assam.

"I wish the government could take care of my medical expenses as my financial condition is not sound," Dey said, explaining that he does casual work but has no reliable source of income.
Thousands of people are attacked by wildlife in India each year, with tigers, leopards, elephants and snakes the most dangerous.

Conservationists blame a decline in the natural habitat for wild animals, particularly dense forest cover in areas surrounding cities, for the deadly incidents occasionally reported from urban areas in India.

Snow leopard, ghost of the mountains, is disappearing fast

http://www.mydigitalfc.com/leisure-writing/snow-leopard-ghost-mountains-disappearing-fast-836

Snow leopard is the most mysterious of all big cats. This cat is found in the mountain ranges of south Asia and central Asia, mostly in the hill ranges of 3,000-5,500 metres high. It is said in India, the habitat of snow leopards is about 1,80,000 sq km; in comparison tiger is found in less than a lakh sq km area. Tiger conservationists often cite the number of rivers that originate in the tiger habitats as one of the reasons for saving tigers. But if seen volume-wise, the rivers starting from Himalayan region of our country , where the snow leopards live , have more water flowing.

In India, the snow leopard is found in five places: Jammu Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh. India’s most talented and famed wildlife photographer, Dhritiman Mukherjee, has captured the most spectacular images of this extremely elusive animal when some local informed him that the animal had killed a yak. Before this, most of the images from India were of captive animals or animals captured in camera trap. India’s scientists have studied this animal but most of the work has been restricted to academic level contribution. Seeing this kind of animal may be a dream for most wildlife enthusiasts. But this experience is not like visiting the regular tiger parks, where one enjoys hot meals and clean rooms. To see a snow leopard, one has to endure a freezing cold environment with very little basic amenities at disposal. And it is not guaranteed that you get to see a snow leopard.

Ranthambhore based wildlife photographer Aditya Singh says that it may be tough to spot snow leopards but if efforts are made, we can increase the sighting chances. The cat regularly preys on the livestock of the residents living in its territory. If these people are contacted they can inform one about its presence. But one has to rush before the cat could get away with its prey. In return, the visitor needs to pay the local for yak that the animal had hunted.

Conservationists who don’t take to tourism and photography may dislike this method but for now, this is the key to conservation: The local who lost his livestock will now call a photographer, who compensates the loss — instead of a hunter to shoot the animal. The biggest snow leopard area is in Tibet, with about 70 per cent habitat. Sadly, Tibet is the biggest hub of illegal fur trade, which is the biggest threat to the cat. Not enough animals to prey on due to seasonal migration makes the snow leopard kill people’s livestock, leaving behind a clue of its presence and subsequent poaching. The IUCN in its red data book has listed the snow leopard as endangered.

It is important to increase the community’s involvement in its conservation. Efforts have to be multi channelled. For both Dhritiman and Aditya Singh, it was possible to take the magnificent images of the animals only with the help of the local communities, proving that the right approach with the local communities could lead to efficient solution to snow leopard poaching.