Leopards and Hyenas are on the loose in South Delhi and Gurgaon; Beware at night

|THE DEN|

The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and the Delhi Forest Department conducted a year-long study to document the presence and distribution of leopards and other species in the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary (ABWS), a part of the Ridge in South Delhi.

Eight leopards were captured on camera, two to four striped hyenas, and the dynamics between the two.

The leopards have been discovered roaming the same paths once, twice, and more than once in the same week. This shows that they have settled permanently in this urban forest.

The sanctuary is a part of the Sariska-Delhi wildlife corridor in the Aravallis, which connects the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan with the Delhi Ridge, according to the report. It claims that the presence of leopards at Asola Bhatti demonstrates the importance of this wildlife corridor.

According to the study, there are two to four striped hyenas at the sanctuary, with their presence increasing near the Gurgaon-Faridabad highway. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified the striped hyena, a nocturnal animal, as "near endangered" (IUCN). However, because there weren't any clear pictures, specific hyenas couldn't be recognised.