Spotted saviours of ecosystems

Leopard-human conflict is not just a predator problem — it is a symptom of our developmental disease

- N SHIVA KUMAR

In the heart of Mumbai's concrete sprawl, Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Borivali stands as an extraordinary sanctuary — not only for flora and fauna but for one of the world's most adaptable big cats: the leopard.

These urban leopards, numbering around three dozen, have carved out a remarkable existence within the park's 100 square kilometres.

The island of jungle is flanked on all sides by high-rise apartments, slums, highways and film studios. By night, they navigate silently through the city's chaotic edges, slipping through alleyways, railway lines and drains, often preying on feral dogs, stray cattle, pigs and even bandicoots - inadvertently offering pest control and disease mitigation services to the metropolis.

Despite being so close to humans, they remain largely invisible and avoidant, a testament to their stealth and intelligence. Their survival is both miraculous and symbolic - a living paradox of wilderness in one of the world's busiest cities.

The above scenario is no longer rare - it's becoming alarmingly common across the country. Vast stretches of forests are being ruthlessly razed, and rocky outcrops that serve as natural leopard habitats are blasted to rubble in the name of unchecked commercial expansion.