When leopards are found in human-dominated landscapes, conflicts may arise due to attacks on people or livestock loss or when people retaliate following real and perceived threats. In the plantation landscape of the Valparai plateau, we studied incidents of injury and loss of life of people and livestock over time (15 – 25 y) and carried out questionnaire surveys in 29 plantation colonies and eight tribal villages to study correlates of livestock depredation, people's perception of leopards, and preferred management options for human – leopard interactions.

Interactions between humans and larger carnivorous mammals have a long history in Asia and Africa. Some adaptable carnivores with wide ranges occur in landscapes with humans and their increasing interface with people sometimes resulting in conflicts. The Valparain plateau inthe Anamalai Hills of the Western Ghats, India has experienced human-leopard confict in the past.

Original Source

A major conservation issue, particularly in the tropics, is habitat loss and fragmentation due to developmental activities and increasing human populations.