Villagers lynch wildcat mistaken for leopard

With increasing cases of wild animals being killed due to conflicts with humans in Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr and parts of Greater Noida, where the human population overlaps with wild habitat, the forest department and environmentalists have stressed on the importance of education and awareness among common people. On Wednesday, a jungle cat, which was mistakenly identified as a leopard, was lynched to death by villagers in spite of the forest department's efforts to control the mob. Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), an organization based in Noida working with the state forest department, said that the crowd overpowered the forest officials before they could reach the site where the big cat had been stranded. "The incident took place in the morning. Initially, we were informed by the forest department in Bulandshahr that it was a leopard. We told the forest department to keep the crowd at bay till we got there. However, the crowd overpowered the officials and lynched the cat to death," said NVK Ashraf, the chief operating officer and chief veterinarian of WTI. Ashraf said that the cat had perched itself on a tree and was surrounded by scared and aggressive villagers in Bibinagar village in Bulandshahr. When the cat came down to escape from the crowd, it was followed and killed. The forest department of Bulandshahr and WTI are both still unsure about the exact species of the cat and the incident is currently being reviewed. According to forest department officials and environmentalist, such instances almost inevitably lead to the animal's death due to lack of awareness among villagers. Last year, a leopard was killed by villagers in Ghaziabad after the animal strayed into sugarcane fields in Bahadurpur area of the district. "The leopard had strayed into the fields. In such cases, it is best to stay away from the animal and let it pass through into the wild. However, the villagers hunted the animal out of the fields and killed it despite our best efforts to keep the animal and people safe," said Sheren Shrestha of WTI. Forest department officials explained that due to the exponentially high increase in population in the districts of Gautam Budh Nagar, Ghaziabad and Bulandshahr, such conflicts are becoming increasingly common. "Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad had the highest decadal growth in the state in terms of population while forest cover all over the state has steadily decreased; as a result such conflicts are becoming increasingly common. Not only big cats, but also peacocks, waterfowl and other smaller mammals are falling prey to human beings. The only way to stop such deaths is through awareness programmes and education," said a Gautam Budh Nagar district forest official.