Leopard density in Dooars tea estates higher than forests in the region, major nat’l parks: Study
Times of India | 18 November 2024
Kolkata: The first-ever study in the country to decode leopard behaviour within a tea estate area — in the Dooars — has revealed that the density of the animal was higher in the estates than in the forested areas of the region.
While tea estates in the study site — covering over 750 sq km spread over Gorumara Wildlife Division and nearby tea gardens — were found to have a density of 11 leopards per 100 sq km, the figure in the forest areas turned out to be much lower at less than 5 leopards. Easy availability of prey near human habitation and degradation of forests are some of the reasons, said the study. In fact, the density in tea estates of the study area is even greater than in many protected forests of the country, such as Achanakmar, Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Kaziranga, Manas, Nagarhole, Tadoba and Pakke, the study said.
The study was undertaken by a group of researchers, including Anish Paul, Nitish Kumar, Tonmoy Mukherjee, Amir Kumar Chhetri and Aritra Kshettry.
"It was carried out from Dec 2021 to March 2022. As many as 63 trap camera locations were used to sample the four blocks," said Kshettry. A total 71 photo detections of 32 leopards were obtained during 1,205 trap nights. Of the total sampling area of 759.6 sq km, tea plantations covered around 416.2 sq km and the rest — 343.4 sq km — was spread over forested areas (reserve forests and protected areas).
"Distance to human settlements was found to be negatively correlated with leopard density. In the landscape, domestic animals make up almost 60% of the prey biomass in the leopard's diet," added Kshettry.
The density of leopards within the forested areas — 4.7 per 100 sq km — was significantly lower than in the tea plantations — 11.5. This could be due to very low prey density in the reserve forest areas of the region that experience a greater extent of deforestation and anthropogenic pressure. The higher density of leopards in this landscape can be attributed to the absence of tigers, too.
The study is only the second attempt in India to study leopard density in a human-dominated landscape.