IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Akash, M.; Trageser, S.; Zakir, T.; Rahman, S.C.; Mila, F.-T.-Z.K.; Ghose, A. | |
| Detecting the spots: a review on leopard occurrences in Bangladesh | |
| 2021 Cat News (73): 21-27 | |
The Indian leopard Panthera pardus fusca is Critically Endangered in Bangladesh. Presence of the country's second largest cat is based on speculations and its population is often considered to be unviable. No specific studies on Bangladesh's leopard population have been conducted. Thus, scant empirical data for this range country exists. Here, we provide a review on leopard occurrences in the country between 2008 and 2020. We searched media reports and peer-reviewed publications, and compiled verifiable and geo-spatially extrapolatable records. Over the past 13 years, we documented 21 confirmed incidents; nine of which were outcomes of humanleopard conflicts. In north-western Bangladesh, seven leopards strayed from North Bengal, India, a conflict hotspot for the species, into the country. Northern and northeastern Bangladesh had one incident each. These regions have forests bordering the Indian States of Meghalaya and Tripura, which are considered as possible extant leopard range. We noted five seizure records describing confiscation of three skins and four live specimens. We found seven encounters in the wild, all from southeastern Bangladesh: five from the Chattogram Hill Tracts CHT and two from Cox's Bazar-Teknaf Peninsula. We also noted rapid degradation in the peninsular forests due to the Rohingya refugee crisis. The CHT forests, considered as extant range and from where the only leopard camera trap image in the country exists, are the best hope for the leopards in Bangladesh. Comprehensive surveys are recommended for north-eastern transborder forests, extensions of the Tripura Hills, and the CHT region in order to better understand and facilitate leopard conservation in the country. We also suggest a systematic approach to protect wildlife beyond protected areas considering transient leopard conflicts in the north-western region. |
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