Damauli, June 22

Close Circuit TV cameras are all set to be installed to carry out research on leopards in 4,000 hectare forest areas of the nine wards at Bhanu Municipality, Tanahun.

As many as 36 CCTV cameras will be installed at a distance of one kilometre. Tanahun Division Forest Office Chief Kedar Baral said the cameras would take the pictures of wild animals. He said investigation on leopards would be carried out once the cameras were installed.

The decision to install cameras in the forest areas was taken after wild animals terrorised and even killed locals of the municipality.

Baral said the cameras would be kept for a month.

As many as nine children were killed by leopards while five others were injured in Bhanu Municipality. The cameras will be bought from the budget offered by Gandaki Province Government. Baral said one camera costs up to Rs 40,000.

Leopards entered human settlements due to scarcity of food in forest areas. Wild pigs, deer, rabbit, jackal, among other wild animals, are the food of leopards.

However, these animals have been diminishing on a yearly basis.

Staffers at the forest office said investigation would be carried out to find if the leopards had entered human settlements due to lack of food in the forest.

Assistant Forest Officer Manoj Ranabhat said they were trying to research why leopards were terrorising people in Bhanu Municipality.

“We will find the cause soon,” he added.

Experts said one leopard needed around four-and-a-half kilograms meat daily. They said wild animals needed sufficient food, water and hiding place. Baral said there were as many as 20 leopards in the forest of the municipality.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on June 23, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.