Along the sun-soaked Aravallis of Rajasthan thrives the leopard country of India.
A leopard near a shrine in Bera.
The 20sq km area of Jawai bandh around Bera turned into the Jawai Leopard Conservation Zone in 2003.
Bera now contains one of the highest concentrations of leopards in the world.
But none other than the big cat is considered to be the incarnation of Ambey Mata.
Naturally, the locals of Bera believe in allowing leopards to exist in peace.
India is home to almost 14,000 leopards.
It is only here in Bera that one finds the cats roaming untouched between houses and amidst humans.
The publicity has caused an imbalance in the ecosystem in many ways.
Where once the leopard prodded in search of prey, now humans saunter in search of the leopard.
Many safari guides place animal carcasses on the roads to lure out the cats for display.
The locals get paid for the slaughter of their animals and the tourists gather content for their Instagram.
But in this unregulated, win-win play between humans, the space for leopards to roam is shrinking.
Male cats do not allow other male cats to enter their territory.
The forest department continues to rescue leopards but for how long?
References:#Mongabay#The Better India#Live Mint
