A Countryside carnivore: aspect of leopard ecology at Jawai, Rajasthan

Abstract

1.Increasing human population and habitat fragmentation has impacted the large carnivore population across India. Leopard among pantherine is more tolerant to human disturbance and co-occur with humans in the wide variety of habitats. 2. Study was undertaken to understand status of leopard and factors responsible for its survival in human-dominated landscape. 3. Study was conducted in Jawai Dam Community Conservation Reserve from December 2016 to April 2017 in a semi-arid region of Pali, Rajasthan, India We examined villager's perception towards leopard by taking out the percentage of each response of respondents. Tolerance and religious view toward leopards was found significantly similar with each other, villagers has higher economic losses (livestock loss by leopards) than benefits (tourism activities) generated by hotel lobby. Villagers were examined to have minimal loss of human life and injuries by leopards, so it's easy to say about existence than co-existence or co-occurrence of both leopard and human in Proposed lawai Leopard Community Conservation Reserve.