Damage to domestic animals due to leopard hunting has increased. In two financial years alone, 308 farmers have submitted a petition to the Division Forest Office, Gorkha, saying that domestic animals have been damaged due to leopard attacks.
Head of Division Forest Office Gorkha Madan Mohan Shandilya said that based on the request of the farmers, 42 lakh 25 thousand rupees have been distributed as relief for the damage caused by wild animals in two phases in the current financial year. "There were applications from 308 farmers," he said, "we distributed 33 lakh 69 thousand 500 rupees to 245 farmers in the first lot last December, and 8 lakh 55 thousand 506 rupees have been distributed to 63 farmers in the second lot till April." is . He said that it was found that all domestic animals were preyed upon by leopards.
It has been found that leopards damage domestic animals by entering settlements in search of food.
Khasiboka and Padapadi have been attacked by leopards in large numbers. "There is no human damage, all livestock is damaged," he said, "90 percent of Khasi-Goats and Padapadi have fallen prey to wild animals."
He also said that among the 11 districts of Gandaki province, Gorkha is at the forefront of damage caused by wild animals to domestic animals.
He said that there has been an increase in the number of farmers applying for compensation after being informed that wild animals kill domestic animals and get compensation. There is a provision to distribute compensation according to the Guidelines for the Reduction of Human-Wildlife Conflict and the Relief and Support of Damages Caused by Wildlife, 2069. According to the guidelines, there is provision to get relief if 14 wild animals cause damage to human beings, livestock, food crops, households, food grains (sugarcane and banana only).
Even though there is a provision to get compensation for the damage caused by tiger, elephant, rhinoceros, bear, leopard, hyuchetua, cheetah, wolf, wild dog, wild boar, wild boar, white cow and dragon, it has been found that the domestic animals here fall prey to leopards . In order to get relief, there is a provision to apply with the recommendation of the ward or rural municipality. 10,000 victims of the loss of stored food crops, damage to households, and death of goats or dead animals, 30,000 victims of adult buffaloes, advanced breed cows and bulls of plowing age are killed.
Division Forest Office Gorkha has been providing relief money to the farmers of 10 municipalities except Chumanubri in Manaslu conservation area. Locals say that wild animals like bear, monkey, deer, jharal, ghoral, naur and others have started destroying Valinali in Chumanbri Rural Municipality. Although there is a guideline to provide relief for human and livestock damage, relief for the compensation of food crops has not been available to the farmers .
