'The #leopard is your neighbour and not your adversary' - this and more at our Twitter feed @WildTigerNewstwitter.com/wildtigernews including this article about a reduction in conflict between humans and leopards in the Times of India.
This blog is also published at Facebook (as well as extra updates) should you wish to comment.
Just a quick hello from Nepal. Passing through the normally bustling town of Pokhara on my way to Asa territory and well, the tourists haven't come, never had I seen Pokhara this quiet. The fuel shortages (I've spoken to people who have taken three days to get petrol) cause by the blockade on the Indian border will hopefully ease today but it has also forced many businesses to close.
There's no point blaming the tourists, people want to feel safe. Nepal had the opportunity to unite after the earthquakes, it didn't but it is the innocents who just want to get on with the lives and feed their families who are the most affected. Everyone I talk to has a different view but all I see is the collateral damage as political groups fail to reach compromise at a time when Nepal desperately needs it.
From a conservation standpoint? Best summed up by the all too often remark I'm getting "Jack, you don't look so good, you've aged..."
I wonder why.
Getting anything done while things are in such a state of flux, well it's never easy here but at the moment it's harder than ever.
My own feeling is that the country is in for a very difficult five months until the next tourist season in March, there's no doubt the this October/November season, normally the peak time for international visitors, isn't going to amount to much. Nepal can recover, it's going to take a long time but once again, a more unified approach is the only way forward.
The leopard is actually a neighbour and not an adversary, yes, of course conflict does occur... but the conflict among our own species is far worse. We can learn a lot from big cats...
