Leopards - King of Stealth

LEOPARDS-KING OF STEALTH

The leopards are the secretive,elusive,solitary and nocturnal large cat, and due to this quality is also called the king of stealth.They are found in Africa and Asia. In India Leopards are found in vast range of habitats like himalayan mountains,cities like mumbai,vast forests of southern India.Leopards are the perfectly shaped,beautiful and strongest climber amongst the large cats capable of killing prey larger than itself. Leopards have variety of coat colors, ranging from a light buff in warmer, dryer areas to a dark shade in deep forests.Numerous encounters are taking place in mountainous hamlets or in the colonies on the outskirts of Mumbai. Leopards' habitat is dense bushes which aids in concealment and riverine forest but leopards can adapt to many places like forests, mountains, grasslands and deserts.Their adaptability has helped them survive the loss of habitat to soaring human infringement.Leopards will take their kills to trees to keep them from other competitors like hyenas, jackals, lions,and tigers.Leopards stunned their preys by suddenly attacking the preys from close quarters leaving no options for the prey to escape.They take the prey to the treetops thereby evading the predators like lions and scavengers like hyenas. Leopards can also hunt from trees, where their spotted coats act as camouflageagianst the leaves .Leopards are also strong swimmers. Each animal has a home range the male's range is much larger and overlaps with several females.Leopards communicate by grunting, growling, hissing and meowing.

Leopards use scent marking and scratch marks to define their territories mark their ranges with urine.By marking and calling,they usually know one another's whereabouts.Leopards stay together during mating only and return to their solitary habit after mating.Female leopards give birth at any time of the year and cubs live with mothers for about two years.Due to continuous habitat loss and other threats the cat has been tagged as "Near Threatened" species;humans killl leopards for the skins and in retaliation to the leopard's killing of livestock.Different body parts of the leopard have different uses or decorative purposes.

LEOPARD CONSERVATION-

Little is known about the leopard’s conservation status.There has long been an assumption that leopards can cope in human-dominated landscapes However, conservation scientists agree that leopards may be more vulnerable to extinction than previously thought.Their number in the wild has definitely reduced and their are genuine threats to their survival.Major threats are

1. Habitat fragmentation
2. Poaching for the skin
3. Retaliatory killing in case of livestock killing by leopards.

ACTIONS THAT CAN BE TAKEN-

1. Unfragmented habitat
2. Good prey base
3. Awareness about the needs of leopards-why livestocks are killed by leopards.