Wildlife wonder: How Ajoba, Maharashtra’s first radio-collared leopard, walked to Mumbai
- TIMESOFINDIA.COMUpdated: Jun 4, 2023, 17:21 IST IST
Ajoba, Maharashtra’s first radio-collared leopard, walked back to Mumbai from a forest over 120km away and surprised everyone. The journey, tracked by wildlife scientist Vidya Athreya, changed the approach to preventing leopard attacks on humans
A leopard walked over 120 kilometres through some of India's most heavily populated regions for nearly a month to reach Mumbai. It did not attack any human beings. Very few people saw him. The journey of the radio-collared leopard, tracked by wildlife scientist Vidya Athreya, shattered set notions about the behaviour of the big cats.
It also drove home the point that catching leopards from farmlands and releasing them into forests is not the way to lessen conflict with humans. The leopard was named Ajoba — which means grandfather in Marathi — by the scientists because he was an elderly male.
It also drove home the point that catching leopards from farmlands and releasing them into forests is not the way to lessen conflict with humans. The leopard was named Ajoba — which means grandfather in Marathi — by the scientists because he was an elderly male.
