Sustaining sanity, thanks for the messages...

Many thanks for the all the messages over different platforms, there are a lot of thoughts and requests, I do my best to get back to people (I'm way behind), it's always a juggling act of laptop time and work in the field.

I wish all those who have weekends a good one and even if you don't have free time, try and keep sane, let's all try and get along.

I'm trying... but Nepal may run out of coffee in the process. Cheers Jack.

These posts are also at Facebook (along with other updates) if you wish to comment.

Wildlife seizures and environmental footprints...

There's no doubt that until the issues of human population, consumption and poverty are fully addressed by society as a whole, environmental/wildlife protection is simply about hanging on tight to what we've got. That battle will just go on and on until WE vote in governments world wide equipped and motivated to deal with these issues. It's up to us. It disturbs me that people don't understand how serious things have got. Believe me, at ground level, it's shaky. ‪#‎WakeUp‬
Far beyond the daily seizures of wildlife parts and serious human/wildlife conflict issues here in South Asia (read ‪#‎poverty‬ related in so many cases) it's the total incongruence of it all when reading (like yesterday's news) the per capita consumption levels (environmental footprint) in countries like Australia and the US (worst offenders but many others over the sustainable scale).
‪#‎NotWatchingTheOlympics‬ ‪#‎DoesntSeemRight‬ #TheyKilledAJaguar

"Living with Leopards" - Concept...

Many thanks for all the messages lately, I'm way behind in my comms, there's just so much going on. I'll be explaining the "Living with Leopards" concept soon, how it is being presented, the objectives etc. Human - Leopard conflict mitigation is the aim, the data is worrying, there is a lot to do. The image(s) are from a post shortly after Asa and I were translocated to our Stage 2 location in the mountains two years ago but the scope of "Living with Leopards" goes far beyond rewilding. It is about the raw realities of co-existence. My time with Asa before he went his own way was very much about furthering understanding of leopard behaviour. Over the last few years I've realized there is a lot of misunderstanding re leopard issues - conflict, poaching and perceptions. We keep moving forward in an ever changing dynamic.

Human - Leopard conflict: The zones of tragedy...

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.

HUMAN - LEOPARD CONFLICT: Quick post - pain on both sides...

HUMAN - LEOPARD CONFLICT: When you look into the eyes of a leopard that has survived a conflict situation (many don't), you can see pain, fear and a lot of confusion. When you look into the eyes of a human who has survived a conflict situation (many don't) you can see pain, fear and a lot of confusion. And then there are the family members of victims...
Too many people on the outside of this are taking sides. All I can say is I would never give those people a job. There has to be balance. More soon on "Living with Leopards"...

This post is at Facebook (along with other updates not posted here) if you wish to comment.

No borders, the big cat quest to survive...

This is a just a quick post and I'll have more about the origins of this fantastic image, seemingly of a melanistic leopard caught on a camera trap in eastern Nepal a couple of years ago.  Geneticist Prajwol Manandhar sent me the image while we were having a fascinating online discussion last night.  Prajwol is a passionate leopard researcher among his other intellectual traits, one of the up and coming conservation scientists here in Nepal, a group of people who give great hope.

There is hope for big cats.  Leopards in particular are highly adaptable and like all big cats, highly evolved.  Maybe the leopard will change its spots, maybe there will be more black leopards evolving out of necessity.  Nature has many tricks up its sleeve.

But we must play our part.  The leopard is a crucial ecosystem engineer and it will live where it needs to live to survive. One of the things I love about wildlife is there are no borders, no boundaries in their minds. In a world where humans are choosing to be divisive rather than uniting, to me, wildlife shows the way.

Wildlife are true global citizens, no passports, just nature.  We must support that, for the sake of us all...

Human - Leopard conflict: More disturbing data presents itself...

Yesterday's work day ended up going close to nineteen hours.  I had been preparing info and images for upcoming presentations and more field work.  Later in the day Pragati alerted me to just released data from the District Forest Office (DFO) in Palpa regarding the amount of leopards killed there recently, alarming figures including eight in the last three months.  Cats had been beaten to death or died eating poisoned laid bait.

These killings occur because people's livelihood and safety are threatened by the big cats.  In areas struggling economically the loss of a goat or similar can have serious impact on a family.  Where we're testing mitigation strategy it's the loss of human life which has also been of great concern, many children taken in a area not far from where I write this.

Those who followed my Facebook posts in the last couple of days would have read of a successful rescue of a leopard in Lamjung, just one event of many.  In fact in South Asia it is a daily occurrence, conflict, rescues, a lot of deaths... people, leopards, livestock.

Keyboard warriors the world over get up in arms when a big cat dies in conflict.  I've come to realize that the huge percentage have no idea what the dynamics of these conflicts are all about.  The environmental, political, social and economic pressures in a struggling country like Nepal are lost on most, eyes are not open.

More data from DFOs will flow in over the coming weeks.  I've now got a morning fixing and preparing cameras, part of conflict kits being implemented.  In a world full of problems human - leopard conflict is another one. But for those affected by it, it's a deadly serious one.  There has to be fairness to all parties.   I've mentioned before one needs a very thick skin to do this work.  Well no skin is impregnable and the emotions that do come through have to be harnessed to make sure there is fairness.  There are people, leopards and livestock who need that fairness, that support...