Leopard ‘solving’ stray dog menace in Ambazari bio-diversity park?

Nagpur: The ‘resident’ stray dog menace in Ambazari bio-diversity park has receded sharply in the last few months, and it is speculated that a leopard has a lot to do with it. When the park’s compound wall was being completed a few years ago, a pack of stray dogs got enclosed there and had been living there ever since.
Venkatesh Mudaliar, an avid bird watcher, said the strays had developed sharp hunting skills and their aggression was posing danger to visitors. “It’s a pack of around 20 or so and they have hunted down peacocks, rabbits and langoors. Quite a few of them were born inside the park only, so their instinct is almost like that of a wild animal,” said Mudaliar.
A regular visitor to the park, Mudaliar has captured the strays’ aggression on camera too. “I have photos of them dragging a langoor which they killed as pack, which shows how they have evolved living inside the park. They have taken down quite a few birds and even devoured eggs laid on the ground. So while they may be stray dogs, their instinct is not,” said Mudaliar.
An aggressive alpha male in the pack had started being a cause for worry in the park. Last year, various stakeholders got together to find a solution, which did not involve harming the dogs.
Kundan Hate, member of state’s wildlife advisory board, said, “A meeting was held in which forest officials, dog activists and even civic officials were included. The main purpose of this meet was to find a safe way to catch these dogs and remove them from the park premises.”
But before these discussions could move to more advanced stage, the park started playing host to a regular visitor. “Camera traps captured images of a leopard, which was frequenting the area. Soon, the number of dogs started falling. It’s very likely that the leopard started picking up these easy targets, which also happen to be a preferred meal for it,” said Hate.
Forest officials however believe that the receeding stray dog menace could be the result of two things. Bharat Singh Hada, deputy conservator of forests said “Initially we did see one or two dog kills, but now there is a possibility that the dogs have moved out. Even though the boundary is secured, dogs can leave even through an open gate. If the leopard starts picking up dogs, then they will run away from that area.”
Recently, reports of leopard sighting on Ordnance Factory premises has increased. Some forest officials speculate that the same leopard might be roaming in Gorewada to Ambazari to Ordnance Factory areas and the dogs at the bio-diversity park are now its stable prey base.