Getting an understanding of what occurred in a serious conflict situation is about keeping a very open mind. The loss of life, be it human, leopard or livestock means it is a very sensitive situation. In the images you can see Pragati and Bidhya examining the wounds of Sabim Balami. Sabim was attacked by a leopard in the maize field you can see just before the leopard's life was taken. I'm not going to go into the details here, there is still much to be understood about this conflict which took place a few days ago. The villagers did the best they could to remove the leopard from the area before things got out of control. The tragic loss of a big cat and several people injured was the final result.
These investigations and then analysis require the right skill sets. Biologists and geneticists are involved and the interviewing skills of someone like environmental journalist Pragati are absolutely vital. My own focus is very much on leopard behaviour. Technology in the form of a conflict kit is something we are working on getting further implementation. It's all about trying to reduce and prevent serious conflict. It's about saving lives and learning to co-exist.
Another serious issue and one that I have alluded to a lot lately is understanding the dynamics of living with potentially dangerous animals. I see a lot of "keyboard warriors" as well as even those active in conservation get wordy about issues they have no understanding of when it comes to serious conflict. In the main these villagers are people just trying to survive. Better education and management as to how to deal with these situations is an ongoing challenge but calling people "savages" from afar is gutless and judgemental. The over romantization of big cats is equally damaging. More on that later but in an image among these there is a school, between shrines to gods and jungle... jungle which is leopard habitat.
For now it's about implementing mitigation...once again, to save lives.
