By Soham Mehta

THE LEOPARD

the epitome of grace & stealth

From the rainforests of Southern India, to the urban landscapes of Mumbai City, to the alpine forests of the Himalayan foothills, the Indian leopards (Panthera pardus) innate ability to adapt to avariety of different habitats makes it the most successful largecarnivore in India. Sly and quick, they draw little attention from humans in India, but when they are so close, conflict is inevitable. According to a 2018 report, the leopard population has increased by 60% in four years—an impressive number, considering the fast-growing human population and rapid habitat encroachment. India—my home country—is a land where vast biological and cultural diversity intersect across regions. This diversity, now in closer proximity than ever, means that humans and wildlife are now competing for resources. Big cats have been straying into villages and cities more often, and living alongside communities in tense situations. This forced proximity often elicits conflicts between humans and wild species, some of which are critically endangered.

With one of the largest human populations globally, how has India been able to control its behavior towards wild carnivoreslike leopards? One of the principal reasons is that India is a nation of faith, religion, and spirituality, in all of which the environment plays a significant role. I call many of the species which fall under this discourse the ‘Holy Beasts of India’ with a paradox in mind; these animals are revered and respected, but feared as well by the Indian community, leading to conflicts.

This summer, I came across a story of a place where the ‘Holy Beasts’ are revered and respected more than they are feared, thereby invigorating a relationship that embodies this coexistence. This is the story of the shared land of the Rabari Shepherds and the leopards.

Sharing the Land

THE RABARI & THE LEOPARDS OF JAWAI

The above picture was taken 5 minutes after the live birth of a sheep assisted by the Rabari Shepherds. Meanwhile, a leopard was spotted just a kilometer behind the rock in the picture! Jawai is a place that makes possible a wildlife enthusiast’s thrilling dream to see one of the most elusive big cats in the world – the leopard – in the wild. With its unique terrain and stories of coexistence with humans, the leopard population is thriving in the Jawai Hills. There have been countless moments where the leopards of Jawai have been documented living in the picturesque beauty of the granite hills alongside close human activity, however, they are so secretive that they remain ghosts lurking in the darkness of the caves of Jawai.

The Jawai Hills are located in the Pali district of the Indian State of Rajasthan. In these rugged hills, surrounded by grasslands, fields, riverbeds, and the Jawai Bandh (a manmade dam), one can explore the relationship a culture maintains with its bioregion. The Rabari shepherds, the region’s local tribe, are devout worshippers of Ambe Mata, whose ‘vahan’ (vehicle) is a leopard. The Rabaris consider leopards a divine symbol and respect all the nature that supports their well-being in Jawai. Sharing land with a predator is not easy, but the Rabaris are able to live with the fact that their goat or sheep will be prey to the leopard someday. They do not retaliate in anger, but instead protect these leopards from outsiders.

This reverence and deep love interconnected to strong beliefs are one of the reasons why India has been able to conserve this magnificent species so remarkably. In fact, the Rabari region has one of the highest densities of leopards globally, but the animals have not harmed any humans yet. However, it is essential to acknowledge that this is the case unique to the Jawai Region, people from other areas in India view leopards differently therefore having a relationship of conflict and disharmony.