221 leopards rescued in 3 years in Mys

Mysuru: In just over three years, wildlife officials have rescued 221 leopards, including the latest in Melukote in Mandya on April 30, and, interestingly, forest officials have successfully rehabilitated more than 90% of rescued leopards.About half of these rescued big cats have been immediately released directly into nearby forest areas once they were found fit to survive on their own after notching their ears and microchipping the big cats for easy identification in case it comes into conflict with humans again.Forest officials claim this effort reflects a major achievement in leopard conservation, especially in a landscape where the wild leopard population is estimated at around 1,800 in Karnataka. Mysuru rescue and release record is now being seen as a hopeful model for protecting endangered wildlife through active intervention, treatment and habitat-based recovery efforts.Since Feb 2023, when Karnataka govt formed the state's first Leopard Task Force (LTF), a total of 221 leopards have been rescued in Mysuru and Mandya districts. The specialised rescue unit was created after back-to-back human deaths caused by leopard attacks in T Narasipura in late 2022 and early 2023, prompting the forest dept to strengthen rapid response and wildlife conflict management in the region.Of the total rescues, Mysuru district accounted for 164 leopards. Within Mysuru district, Mysuru taluk reported the highest number, with 68 leopard rescues, followed by T Narasipura with 35 and HD Kote with 30. These figures reflect the scale of human-wildlife interaction in areas located close to forest fringes, agricultural lands and expanding settlements.DCF IB Prabhugouda, who heads the LTF, informed TOI that nearly 90% of the rescued leopards were released back into the wild, after following standard procedures such as ear notching and microchipping. These measures help authorities identify the animals in future and monitor repeat movement or conflict patterns. The release of most rescued leopards into forest areas indicates that many were healthy enough to return to their natural habitat after capture and examination.Only about 5% were injured, and died, while another 5% are currently housed in rehabilitation centres, as they were rescued when they were cubs and cannot be released into the wild. Rehabilitation is considered necessary in cases where leopards are too weak, too young or medically unfit for relocation.Among the notable rescue cases were a recent incident in Siddhartha Nagar in Mysuru, where a leopard entered a house and was later found sleeping under a cot. Luckily, none of the family members were harmed. Forest personnel who examined the situation said the animal may have been in shock, which possibly explained its unusual behaviour and lack of aggression. Even this leopard has been released. This apart, the territorial forest officials too have rescued a few leopards and released them into the woods.