Dead cattle lure leopards to Aarey

While illegal garbage dumping at Aarey Colony open defecation stray dogs and pigs and inadequate lighting in the area have been blamed for the numerous incidents of mananimal conflict another major meal option is attracting leopards to forage around human settlements Illegal dumping of cattle carcasses in the open allegedly being done by lsquotabelarsquo or stable owners in the area is being seen as another major reason the stage is being set so often for mananimal incidents to occur After covering the spate of leopard attacks in and around Aarey Colony MiD DAY brought to the fore several reasons that have been making humananimal conflict incidents possible The unavailability of public toilets inadequate lighting and illegal garbage dumping may offer marauding leopards an easy hunting ground The spotted cats are mainly on the lookout for pigs and stray dogs around settlements and the hint of a carcass in the area draws the cats dangerously closer A crouching child answering naturersquos call can mislead leopards into attacking but humans do not normally figure on the menu According to a local from Aadivasi Pada the major reason leopards are getting attracted to human settlements in Aarey is because cattle carcasses are being dumped illegally at some locations in the area Dumping ground Taking the cue MiD DAY visited a location near Unit 15 which is around 400 meters away from Aarey Hospital and staff quarters and found carcasses of around eight buffalo calves discarded in the open The local who did not wish to be named said ldquoMore than dogs and pigs the open disposal of carcasses in the forest by the stable owners is attracting leopards near the settlements This is steadily raising the risk of humanleopard conflict here I have even seen a leopard heading towards the area where the carcasses are being dumped which is barely a few hundred metres from a settlementrdquo A visit near Unit no 28 in the colony which is around half a kilometre from CEO House revealed another carcass dumping ground A source in the area said that carcasses are usually dumped at the locations under the cover of darkness ldquoDogs have been observed feeding on the carcasses Also the carcasses being dumped here could lead to the spread of diseasesrdquo the source said Expertspeak Biologist and leopard expert Vidya Athreya from the Centre for Wildlife Studies said ldquoDisposal of cattle carcasses in the open should be avoided as it could attract leopards If we are providing leopards with an easy food source we canrsquot afford to act surprised when they begin to come closer to human settlements Without a better waste and garbage disposal method there is no longterm solution to the issuerdquo Wildlife expert Krishna Tiwari said ldquoIt is really shocking that carcasses are being dumped in the open at locations in Aarey Colony This will definitely attract dogs and leopards If this continues chances of mananimal conflict will only increase The local authorities including Aarey Dairy department BMC and forest department should take serious note of the matter and initiate stringent action against those behind this trendrdquo Corporatorspeak Shiv Sena corporator Jitendra Valvi from Aarey Colony said ldquoIt is shocking to hear that cattle carcasses are being disposed out in the open We will raise the issue with the concerned Aarey officials and see to it that this is stopped at the earliestrdquo Aarey Milk Colony CEO says Chief Executive Officer CEO Aarey Milk Colony Ashok Jadhav said ldquoDisposal or dumping of cattle carcasses in the open is illegal If at all such things are going on then we would immediately take strict action against those involvedrdquo When questioned about the unavailability of lights on some of the roads in Aarey and also near Aarey Hospital and staff quarters he said ldquo I have already taken note of the matter and will see to it that the issue is resolved in a monthrdquo Did you know Aarey Colony area comes under the jurisdiction of the Dairy Development Department and a part of the area falls under the territorial range of Thane Forest Department Around 30 cattle stables have been constructed each with capacity to house between 500 and 550 animals Private cattle owners maintaining their herds in Mumbai city prior to 1949 were shifted and allotted licenses to keep their animals in the colony stables Currently Aarey Milk Colony has the capacity to accommodate 16079 cattleu00a0