Visakhapatnam: Leopards have not been sighted in the Kambalakonda Sanctuary for about 10 years leading experts to conclude that the absence has significantly increased the deer population in the area.”Between 2020 and 2021, there were five to six leopards in Kambalakonda. Ten years earlier, there were 10 to 15 leopards and tigers. However, no pug marks have been observed in the area in recent months,” stated B. Bharata Laxmi, Professor Emeritus of Zoology at Andhra University.Forestry and environment specialists suggest that leopards may have migrated to other areas due to vehicular traffic and the expansion of human settlements. “If leopards were present here, they would have hunted smaller animals like deer, wild goats, and rabbits in Kambalakonda,” explained D.E. Babu, retired principal of science and technology.Experts believe that the absence of leopards, considered a keystone species in Kambalakonda, has caused ecological imbalances, rapidly increasing the deer population.Kambalakonda Sanctuary, covering 1,400 hectares, surrounds the Visakha Valley School Junction, Mudasarlova, Adivivaram, Sonthyam, Gambhiram, Kommadi, and Endada. Earlier, leopards and tigers roamed the hills from Simhachalam to Kailasagiri and the hills of Seethakonda, Rushikonda, and Kapuluppada.People once feared leopard in areas such as Nandigiri Nagar, MVP Colony, Kailasapuram, and NSTL. The forest department intervened by transferring them to a zoo. Additionally, a leopard was reported dead after being struck by an unidentified vehicle near the last bus stop in PM Palem.The expansion of Visakhapatnam city, along with an increasing population around the hills and heavy vehicle traffic, has made the environment less suitable for leopards.Forest staff report that no pug marks have been seen in Kambalakonda and its surroundings for the past five to six years. They have found no evidence of leopards in the trap cameras installed in various locations or any recent sightings.An animal survey conducted four years ago did not indicate the presence of leopards. Currently, hundreds of deer, mountain sheep, and goats populate the area around Kambalakonda, and forest officials attribute the significant increase in deer to the absence of leopards.Forest department officials suspect leopards may have migrated to other areas due to vehicle noise and the growing human population. Professor Bharata Laxmi emphasises that if leopards were still present in Kambalakonda, their existence would have been apparent, indicating that they have either migrated or become extinct for various reasons.Meanwhile, D. E. Babu noted that the leopards in the Eastern Ghats around Visakhapatnam are uniquely beautiful, with no similar species found elsewhere except in Africa. However, Professor Bharata Laxmi mentions that leopards have been seen sporadically in the Ananthagiri mandalam area of the ASR district.
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