Traumatised by leopard, Murbad locals learn to live with wildlife

The Thane forest department has taught the people of Murbad, who recently witnessed a human-animal conflict, about co-existing with wild life.

Locals said that they were terrified after a leopard killed two of their townsfolk in August, and they did not know how to take precautions against such incidents.

The forest department, in association with Resqink Association For Wildlife Welfare in Murbad East Range, held a programme on Monday and Tuesday for approximately 1,100 students of schools and colleges on the occasion of Wildlife Week. While the focus was on imparting knowledge about biodiversity, wildlife and their importance, attention was paid to helping people learn facts about leopards and the precautions they need to take on an individual level.

The forest department spoke about importance of coexistence and conservation by accepting animals and living with them. They were also made to understand coexistence by slight modification of human lifestyles, which influence human-wildlife conflict management. This included topics like human-reptile and human-leopard conflict.

Murbad resident Sandesh Godambe, one of the attendees, explained, “I came to know about the kind of precautions that can be taken. I will go back home and explain them to my family and all my neighbours.”