Gujarat started a PPP model for Leopard Rescue and Rehabilitation
The Gujarat forest department transferred 12 leopards in a private rescue and Rehabilitation centre located in Jamnagar district. They have been transferred from the Sakkar Baug Zoological Park of Junagadh to the Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation kingdom in Jamnagar.
Highlights
- Leopards were captured after they came in conflicts with humans.
- This PPP project is first of its kind for the state.
- Project is being implemented under the public private partnership (PPP).
- Government of Gujarat has collaborated with the Reliance Industries Limited.
Why PPP model has been launched?
Human leopard conflict is common in and around the areas surrounding the wild. In that regard, Government of India had brought the guidelines to manage the Human Leopard conflict in April 2011. But despite these guidelines, the number of leopards captured by humans have increased up to three times since 2011. Apart from that, number of leopards that have been translocated permanently have also increased three times because of human injuries and death. So, this PPP model of rescue and Rehabilitation has been launched to rescue and rehabilitate them.
About leopards
Leopards are nocturnal animals. Nine sub-species of Leopards have been identified. They are mostly distributed across Asia and Africa. They have been listed as “Vulnerable” in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list because of their declining population up to 75% to 90%. They have been listed in schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. They are also protected as per appendix 1 of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).