Warli Tribes Conserving Leopards

• Context (DTE): The Warli tribes living near Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Maharashtra worship leopards.

Sanjay Gandhi National Park

• It is a protected area in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• The Kanheri caves (important Buddhist learning centers) is located centrally in the park.
• It also houses the famous Jain temple called Trimurti. It has three huge idols of Lord Adinath and his two sons, Lord Bahubali and Lord Bharata.
• The karvi (or karvy) shrub, that blooms only once in eight years is seen in abundance throughout the park.
• Dahisar River, originates in the Tulsi Lake in Sanjay Gandhi National Park

Warli Tribes

• They are spread across Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Goa and the Union Territories of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.
• They speak an unwritten Varli language which belongs to the southern zone of the Indo-Aryan languages.

Warli Art

• It is the tribal paintings of Maharashtra that are done traditionally in the homes of the Warlis.
• These paintings do not depict mythological characters or images of deities but depict daily and social events of the Warli tribe.
• They are like pre-historic cave paintings in execution and usually depict scenes of human figures engaged in activities like hunting, dancing, sowing and harvesting.
• These paintings are mainly dominated by basic geometric shapes like circles, triangles, and squares.
• Women are mainly engaged in the creation of these paintings.

Indian Leopard

• These are the smallest of the big cats known for their ability to adapt to a variety of habitats.
• They are elusive and nocturnal animals.
• Population: 12,000-14,000 individuals.
• Conservation status: IUCN Red List: Vulnerable (VU) | WPA: Schedule I.
• Habitat: Tropical rainforests, dry deciduous forests, temperate forests, and northern coniferous forests. They do not occur in the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans and deserts.
• Lifestyle: Solitary animals.
• Pregnancy duration: 90 to 105 days.
• Threats: Poaching, loss of habitat and fragmentation, human-animal conflict.

According to the ‘Status of Leopards in India 2018′ report, Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of leopards (3,421) followed by Karnataka (1783) and Maharashtra (1690) Sanjay Gandhi National Park (Mumbai) has the highest density of leopards found anywhere else in the world (21 per 100 square km).

Ways to reduce human-leopard conflict

• Habitat Management: Identify and protect key leopard habitats to minimize human encroachment. Establish buffer zones between leopard territories and human settlements.
• Community Awareness: Conduct educational programs to inform local communities about leopard behavior and ecology.
• Livestock Management: Implement secure livestock housing and fencing to prevent leopard attacks on domestic animals.
• Early Warning Systems: Develop and implement early warning systems to alert communities about leopard presence in the vicinity. Use technology like motion-sensor cameras and GPS tracking to monitor leopard movements.
• Conflict Resolution Teams: Establish rapid response teams to address leopard-human conflicts promptly. Train local personnel in non-lethal methods of managing leopard encounters.
• Human Behavior Modification: Encourage responsible behavior in the presence of leopards, such as avoiding confrontations and not provoking the animals.
• Research and Monitoring: Conduct studies to better understand leopard behavior and movement patterns.
• International Collaboration: Collaborate with neighboring regions and share best practices and research findings to develop comprehensive strategies for reducing leopard-human conflict.