https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Guardian of the Jungle: A Tale of Triumph Over Leopard-Human Conflict

Forest Range Officer Mahavir Pandey has been working towards mitigating leopard-human conflict in Sanjay Tiger Reserve He took several steps that helped in avoiding conflicts like building machans and forming Tendua Mitra Dals Sirens were supplied to every household with instruction to use it if they saw the big cat
Indian Masterminds Stories

Opened in 2008, Sanjay Tiger Reserve has been dealing with man-wildlife conflicts since then, like any other wildlife reserve of India. No amount of human settlement relocation could prevent leopard-human clashes in the area, which were increasingly becoming a nuisance for everyone. That’s when Forest Range Officer Mahavir Pandey decided to step up and take some necessary measures.

In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, Mr. Pandey shared details about his efforts to halt leopard-human conflict in Sanjay Tiger Reserve.

A NEED

Only 17 of the 54 communities settled on the reserve’s outskirts have been able relocate to other regions so far, with another 10 in the process. As the number of big cats increases due to protection, the surviving villages that exist between the forests risk tremendous conflict.

This resulted in a terrible accident on November 24, 2022, when a 5-year-old tribal child was killed by a leopard. A month later, on December 24, 2022, another 5-year-old child was killed by a leopard within a 5-kilometer radius of the previous occurrence.

“Both the incidents shocked the villagers to the core. Our team set on to analyze the movement of the leopards and we understood that their movement trail directly leads to the villages, which had been proven dangerous. We immediately knew that we had to take proper and immediate action to stop the conflicts before things go out of hand,” Mr. Pandey told Indian Masterminds.

PREVENTION

Following the initial sorrowful occurrence, Mr. Pandey placed two large cages at the entrance of the village settlements, which were camouflaged, and a goat was kept inside as bait. Finally, the leopard was apprehended and released back into the wild. As the forest staff and villagers breathed a sigh of relief and removed the cage traps, the second event occurred just a month later, which caused concern for everyone.

“There was no electricity in the area, and as we approached the scene, we were ambushed by a big number of drunk tribals who were determined to harm us. We managed to escape and save ourselves, but it was evident that we needed to take substantial action to put an end to these fights since we could sense the villagers’ rage and disappointment,” he stated.

SUSTAINABLE STEP

First and foremost, the forest department established a dedicated team for man-animal conflicts, which began spreading awareness about the issue. Sirens were supplied to every household in the village, and they were instructed to use them if they saw a large cat.

The following stage was to conduct a survey and identify the areas that were hotspots for similar incidents. They were mostly houses that were dark and had small children residing in them. Mr. Pandey and his colleagues then erected solar street lights throughout the region and developed PIP based on the data they collected.

“This assisted us in identifying leopard-prone areas, which led to increased patrolling. We walked around the entire property, inspecting every nook and cranny of the areas that were prone to leopard movement,” he shared.

TENDUA MITRA DAL

Furthermore, the officer established Tendua Mitra Dals which were in charge of walking door to door and keeping a check on residences with little children, as they were easy prey for the animals.

They also discovered leopard footprints and forwarded the information to the department, which concentrated on protecting the specific areas.

“After examining the high-risk zones, we put camera traps in the areas and photographed the leopards. We cannot rescue leopards from the reserve and transport them elsewhere because we are so focused on leopard conservation. Yet, the urgency of the hour prompted us to take some action,” he told Indian Masterminds.

INSTALLING CAGES

Given the severe circumstances, Mr. Pandey and his team built up enormous camouflaged cages and used camera traps to photograph leopards heading towards local settlements. Within one month, they were able to catch four leopards, which were subsequently returned to the Tiger Reserve and released.
The relocation proved incredibly advantageous, as no additional leopards were recorded in the camera traps or cages set up near the village communities.

“We also established temporary machans in all the vulnerable areas which helped our patrolling guards to keep a close eye on the area,” Mr. Pandey said.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
India’s Missile Strikes on 11 Pakistani Airbases Forced Islamabad Into Panic: Ex-UK Envoy Reveals Secret Saudi Defense Pact
India’s Missile Strikes on 11 Pakistani Airbases Forced Islamabad Into Panic: Ex-UK Envoy Reveals Secret Saudi Defense Pact
Devendra Kumar Tiwari Alka Tiwari  IAS Jharkhand
First IAS Couple in India to Hold Both Chief Secretary & State Election Commissioner Posts Consecutively - Know This Powerful Pair
Policing, Trust, and Investment: Insights from IPF - Indian Masterminds
Indian Police Foundation Marks 10 Years, Discussion on How Policing Builds Investor Confidence
Madhya Pradesh football training
Mini Brazil to Germany: Vicharpur’s Young Footballers Get CM Mohan Yadav’s Blessings on Vijayadashami Week
bureaucracy news
Centre Announces Key Bureaucratic Appointments & Deputation Extensions: Neeraj Surendran, Arun G, Anand Mohan Among Key Names
PM Modi CM Nitish Kumar
Bihar Receives Rs. 10,219 Crore from Centre: A Festive Gift On Vijayadashami to Fuel Development & Welfare, Backed by GST Reforms
Chhattisgarh government
Chhattisgarh CM Charts Development Roadmap: Push for Capital Expenditure, Biometric Attendance, & Transparent Governance
Vishnu Deo Sai CM
Chhattisgarh Gets Rs. 3,462 Crore Boost from Modi Government: Here's How CM Sai Pledges To Spend It!
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IFS Ravikant Meena UPSC IFS
Ravikant Meena on IFS Preparation, Optionals, and Life in Forest Service
Siddhartha Saxena UPSC CAPF
How Siddhartha Saxena Cracked UPSC CAPF AIR 326 Against All Odds
Dr. S.K
Technology Meets Ecology: IFS Dr S K Srivastava’s Game-Changing Innovations in Forest Management | Eco Warrior Awards 2025 Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
UPSC Chairman Ajay Kumar Live Interaction
From Cut-off Dates to Coaching & Reforms: UPSC Chairman Ajay Kumar Assures Aspirants of Fairness, Transparency & a Future-Ready UPSC | UPSC@100
A Century of Service: The UPSC’s Landmark Year Begins. Chairman Ajay Kumar on UPSC’s Centennial: “Merit,...
Giriraj Parihar MPPSC 2024
From Constable to Deputy Collector: Giriraj Parihar’s 9-Year MPPSC Journey | Farmer’s Son, Brother to Five Sisters
From a jail guard to MPPSC 2024 Rank 8, Giriraj Parihar’s nine-year journey of self-study, hard work,...
Ankit MPPSC 2024 Rank 3
From Village Dreams to Deputy Collector’s Chair: Meet Ankit, MPPSC Rank 3 Hindi Medium Topper
Ankit, a Hindi-medium aspirant from Balaghat, secured Rank 3 in MPPSC 2024 and became Deputy Collector...
Social Media
World Rhino Day India
On World Rhino Day, IFS Officer Parveen Kaswan Shares Rare Insights - India Now Hosts 80% of the World’s One-Horned Rhinos
September 22 Marks Global Call for Rhino Conservation; India Holds 80% of World’s Greater One-Horned...
Parag Madhukar Dhakate
Relentless Rains Wreak Havoc in Dehradun: IFS officer PM Dhakate Warns Citizens Amid Flash Floods
Cloudbursts in Dehradun triggered flash floods. IFS officer Dr. PM Dhakate warned citizens to stay indoors...
Forest Guard Tiger Encounter
Tigers Clash in the Wild as Forest Guards Capture Rare Footage , Retired IFS Mohan Pargaien Posts Viral Video
Retired IFS officer Mohan Pargaien shares viral video of three tigers brawling in Ramnagar, as forest...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
India’s Missile Strikes on 11 Pakistani Airbases Forced Islamabad Into Panic: Ex-UK Envoy Reveals Secret Saudi Defense Pact
India’s Missile Strikes on 11 Pakistani Airbases Forced Islamabad Into Panic: Ex-UK Envoy Reveals Secret Saudi Defense Pact
Devendra Kumar Tiwari Alka Tiwari  IAS Jharkhand
First IAS Couple in India to Hold Both Chief Secretary & State Election Commissioner Posts Consecutively - Know This Powerful Pair
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IFS Ravikant Meena UPSC IFS
Siddhartha Saxena UPSC CAPF
Dr. S.K
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT