Leopard census to begin in Bhanu

Kathmandu - Krishna Neupane The Division Forest Office, Tanahun, is preparing to count the number of leopards in Bhanu Municipality. As the cases of leopard attacks sharply rose in the recent times, the Office is working for the leopard census for the management of human-wildlife conflict.

Chief of Office Kedar Baral said that counting of leopards will begin in this fiscal year and the forest areas in the municipality have already been surveyed for this job. According to Baral, a total of 36 points have been fixed in almost 4,200 hectares of forest land and cameras would be installed in each point to facilitate the counting of the leopards.

Along with leopards, prey species of leopards would also be counted. After the counting of prey species, protection of ponds and grazing lands for the prey animals would be launched, Baral shared. In Bhanu Municipality alone, three people lost their lives in leopard attacks in a year while two others were killed in other areas in the district.