0:00:19 > 0:00:21LEOPARD GROWLS
0:00:25 > 0:00:28Across India, two worlds are colliding.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39Every year, scores of people are killed by leopards.
0:00:42 > 0:00:48And hundreds of these big cats are stoned, trapped or shot.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59I grew up in India,
0:00:59 > 0:01:03and I've devoted my life to conserving its wild creatures.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12What interests me is the story behind the headlines.
0:01:15 > 0:01:20What is it really like, living with these animals on your doorstep?
0:01:23 > 0:01:27And how does one of the world's top predators survive
0:01:27 > 0:01:30in a country of over a billion people?
0:01:30 > 0:01:38This programme contains scenes which some viewers may find upsetting.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45South India has been my home for 50 years.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51I'd always felt safe here, at least from wild animals.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55I'll never forget when that changed.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59The day we suspected that something went wrong is
0:01:59 > 0:02:01when our dog disappeared.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05We actually made a complaint to the police, saying that our dog's
0:02:05 > 0:02:08been stolen and put in a reward for his recovery.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13A few days after Karadi disappeared,
0:02:13 > 0:02:17our neighbours were looking up on the hill and saw an animal up
0:02:17 > 0:02:22there, which they actually thought was Karadi and called him, but
0:02:22 > 0:02:25whatever it was, it turned around and slunk off into the forest.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31Soon after that, I hired a couple of trackers.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36The first thing they actually found was the dog's hair
0:02:36 > 0:02:38on the top of the fence, and I said,
0:02:38 > 0:02:42"Well, obviously, he jumped over, gone to the road, gotten stolen".
0:02:42 > 0:02:43I mean, it all sort of added up.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48But they kept finding bits of hair...
0:02:49 > 0:02:52..and eventually found Karadi's remains.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56Our magnificent German Shepherd,
0:02:56 > 0:02:58the most beautiful dog we'd ever owned,
0:02:58 > 0:03:00had been reduced to skin and bones.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07I had my suspicions about what had done it.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14As a precaution, I started locking up the dogs at night.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24Then, after nine months, the killer returned.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36I turned around to go back into the house,
0:03:36 > 0:03:39when suddenly I heard this blood curdling sound.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41DOG HOWLS
0:03:41 > 0:03:43I immediately whipped around -
0:03:43 > 0:03:46there was a leopard on top of Coco, right there.
0:03:53 > 0:03:54It grabbed Coco by the throat,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57and it was raking the body with her claws.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00The leopard looked up, saw me coming, I turned
0:04:00 > 0:04:04around to see where Jonaki was, I looked back, the leopard was gone.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10There was no doubt about it, we were living with a leopard.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21Leopards are notoriously secretive animals.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24They often go unnoticed, despite being more widespread
0:04:24 > 0:04:26and more abundant than any other cat.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32Pound for pound, they're extremely powerful.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41Whether fighting or hunting, it's their sharp claws
0:04:41 > 0:04:44and dagger-like canines that do the damage.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57What sets them apart though is their sheer opportunism.
0:04:57 > 0:05:02They'll eat almost anything, from an insect to a buffalo.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06And this natural versatility enables them to exploit our world,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09as my dog had just learned to its cost.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18The near fatal attack on Coco had been so quick,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21I'd barely glimpsed the leopard.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28It took me months to get a picture of it on my camera trap.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30When I eventually succeeded,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33I could hardly believe the size of the animal.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40I started looking into the severity
0:05:40 > 0:05:42and frequency of leopard attacks on people.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48And the more you look, the crazier it gets.
0:05:51 > 0:05:56It seems that run ins with these big cats are happening more often.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01HE SPEAKS HINDI
0:06:01 > 0:06:05Fatal encounters are being reported from all over the country.
0:06:08 > 0:06:14In fields, villages, and even cities.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16LOUD CHATTERING
0:06:22 > 0:06:26In fact, leopards now kill far more people than tigers.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36Is it because we're encroaching too much into their habitat?
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Or are there different factors at play?
0:06:40 > 0:06:45Why is it that some leopards prefer to avoid us,
0:06:45 > 0:06:49while others become man-eaters?
0:06:55 > 0:06:57I'm heading first to Rajasthan.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03The place I'm going to is a long way from any national park,
0:07:03 > 0:07:07yet it's said to be one of the best spots in India to see wild leopards.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22Even in rural backwaters, India is developing at a staggering pace.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28When you realise that less than 5% of the country is set aside
0:07:28 > 0:07:32for wildlife, it's remarkable how many wild animals are still around.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40Leopards have fared much better than tigers,
0:07:40 > 0:07:43in part because they are more adaptable.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53Around half of them, 7,000 perhaps, are thought to live
0:07:53 > 0:07:57outside national parks, in more or less close contact with humans.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11I'm here in north west India, in Rajasthan.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15I've come here because it's a very similar situation to where we live -
0:08:15 > 0:08:19there are a lot of hillocks around here,
0:08:19 > 0:08:23surrounded by agriculture, people living everywhere.
0:08:23 > 0:08:24And leopards.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35No-one knows these leopards better than local naturalist Davey Singh.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40I've been coming here every day, morning and evening.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42- If I see a leopard, I get a high. - Yeah.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45It's like having a big old scotch. On the rocks.
0:08:48 > 0:08:53For nearly ten years, Davey has been following one particular leopard.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01Zara, her family, they have never disappointed me.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Once I see them, I'm very happy.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08What does your wife think about you spending all this time here?
0:09:10 > 0:09:13My wife knows my passion, that I'm mad over leopards,
0:09:13 > 0:09:16and I can't do without seeing leopards every day.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24It's rare to see a leopard so clearly, under any circumstances.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29What's surprising though is how many of these cats seem to be
0:09:29 > 0:09:31hanging out here, on this one hill.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35- That split rock, you see?- Yeah.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38That very much looks like Zara's head.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44One by one, more leopards come out to relax.
0:09:50 > 0:09:55The standard line is that these are very solitary creatures.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58Can you tell me how many leopards you've seen in one place?
0:10:00 > 0:10:02- I've seen six here.- Together?
0:10:02 > 0:10:03Together.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08- All hanging out together. - All hanging out together.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12It's great. It's like a pride of lions.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14It is.
0:10:19 > 0:10:24Perhaps leopards are more sociable than we've been led to believe.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28It's fascinating to see an entire family relaxing so openly,
0:10:28 > 0:10:29so close to human activity.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36For local guys like Magarim,
0:10:36 > 0:10:39the presence of leopards creates an obvious problem.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52What's crazy to me is that people like Magarim seem more
0:11:52 > 0:11:55worried about their cows and goats than their own safety.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09When I asked him about humans, he says it hasn't happened,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12he hasn't heard of it, and he's not worried about it.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18For centuries,
0:12:18 > 0:12:22this is probably how it's been with leopards across most of India.
0:12:22 > 0:12:27A constant tussle over livestock, but few attacks on people.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37Leopards are much more active after dark.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44With two large cubs to feed, there's a good chance that Zara will
0:12:44 > 0:12:47sneak down off the hill in search of a meal.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27Livestock isn't always available,
0:13:27 > 0:13:31but leopards are adept at surviving on small game like hares.
0:13:42 > 0:13:48After a couple of hours, Zara appears without warning.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53She's surprisingly close.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00I try to read her body language.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05She doesn't appear to be stalking us,
0:14:05 > 0:14:09yet I well know what a leopard can do to a person, if it chooses.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18What bothers me, and the big question is,
0:14:18 > 0:14:20what makes a leopard turn bad?
0:14:20 > 0:14:23Why do some leopards become man-eaters?
0:14:24 > 0:14:29The leopards in this area are very, very friendly.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33In fact, when a person steps down from a jeep,
0:14:33 > 0:14:35they won't come towards you.
0:14:35 > 0:14:40The moment they hear your footsteps, they tend to run away into the bush.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46I have never had a man-eater.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03For leopards, humans would be such easy prey.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10Considering how soft and puny we are, it's remarkable
0:15:10 > 0:15:13that most of them stick to eating livestock.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21It seems to me that, in India,
0:15:21 > 0:15:25an ancient and balanced relationship exists between humans and leopards.
0:15:26 > 0:15:31And to upset this relationship, something definite has to change.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43To find out why things go wrong, I leave Rajasthan,
0:15:43 > 0:15:47and head north to the state of Uttarakhand.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51When it comes to man-eaters, this place is in a league of its own.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03The foothills of the Himalayas are truly spectacular,
0:16:03 > 0:16:06but I'm not here to enjoy the scenery.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08Ten days ago, in a remote settlement,
0:16:08 > 0:16:10a five-year-old boy was killed.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15SHE WAILS
0:16:15 > 0:16:19The latest victim in a region long infamous for its deadly cats.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30This one state has by far the highest concentration
0:16:30 > 0:16:33of leopard attacks in India.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35About 70 people are taken every year.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41It was in these very valleys, nearly 100 years ago,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44that pilgrims on their way to the holy shrines
0:16:44 > 0:16:47at the source of the Ganges were also stopped by leopards.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53Between 1918 and 1926,
0:16:53 > 0:16:57one of these leopards, the man-eater Rudraprayag,
0:16:57 > 0:17:00is said to have killed 125 people.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11Its reign of terror was finally by a hunter called Jim Corbett.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22Why these particular hills should be so cursed is a mystery.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27But the numbers are pretty sobering.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30HE SPEAKS HINDI
0:17:32 > 0:17:36When local teacher maths teacher Latpuk Singhrowat
0:17:36 > 0:17:39lost his ninth pupil to a leopard, he finally snapped,
0:17:39 > 0:17:43and applied for a special permit to hunt the culprit.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54By the time he got the go-ahead,
0:17:54 > 0:17:56three more of his students had been eaten.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03It took him several nights to get a clear shot,
0:18:03 > 0:18:07and in the ten years since that first kill,
0:18:07 > 0:18:10he's taken out a further 39 man-eaters.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16In fact, he's now the go-to man whenever there's a problem.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20And he appears to be keeping himself busy.
0:19:34 > 0:19:40An almost unbearable number of the victims in these stories
0:19:40 > 0:19:41are children.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44THEY SPEAK HINDI
0:19:46 > 0:19:51There's, uh, several extremely disturbing pictures
0:19:51 > 0:19:55of some of the victims, and just out of respect for the families,
0:19:55 > 0:19:59we would never show this to you, but it is pretty obvious that
0:19:59 > 0:20:04the leopard has grabbed this particular victim by the throat
0:20:04 > 0:20:06and dragged the child through the forest.
0:20:09 > 0:20:14These are all things that are extremely difficult to look at.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19What's so puzzling and so upsetting is why there are
0:20:19 > 0:20:21so many attacks here.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25In Rajasthan, there were none.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28Is there now just too little left in these hills for leopards to hunt?
0:21:37 > 0:21:41I can imagine how a hungry leopard might be drawn to a village,
0:21:41 > 0:21:43in search of a meal.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49But does this explain why so many humans are being attacked?
0:21:56 > 0:22:01I'd expect them to come looking for cows and goats, not people.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14To learn more about the circumstances of the latest attack,
0:22:14 > 0:22:16I'm in the town of Gaucher.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23It was here that the five-year-old boy was gabbed ten days ago,
0:22:23 > 0:22:26and his relatives have agreed to talk.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30It was only the next morning that the boy was finally found.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15Perhaps for a leopard, there's just no difference
0:24:15 > 0:24:16between a goat and a human.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23There is, however, another possible explanation
0:24:23 > 0:24:26for the tragic situation that exists here.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32Poaching, to supply body parts and skins to South East Asia,
0:24:32 > 0:24:35is happening on a massive scale.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40And this may be more relevant than we realise.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46New research on mountain lions in America shows that when
0:24:46 > 0:24:50big cats are hunted intensively, it can actually increase conflict.
0:24:50 > 0:24:55Shoot a resident adult and several younger animals tend to move in.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59Being less experienced in the ways of people,
0:24:59 > 0:25:03these feline teenagers are much more liable to cause trouble.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09A leopard that's killed once may be more likely to return.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12Latpuk certainly thinks so.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56It seems obvious that the man-eating leopard of Gaucher has to be
0:25:56 > 0:25:59shot before it strikes again,
0:25:59 > 0:26:04yet as I set out with Latpuk to track the leopard that ate the boy,
0:26:04 > 0:26:06there's a nagging question at the back of my mind.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11How is it possible to identify the real culprit?
0:26:13 > 0:26:16SHE SPEAKS HINDI
0:26:20 > 0:26:23She heard a rock falling down, she saw a tail disappearing,
0:26:23 > 0:26:25dogs barking hysterically.
0:26:28 > 0:26:33Shooting the wrong cat won't just fail to solve the problem.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36There's a good chance it will make it worse.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39THEY SPEAK HINDI
0:26:45 > 0:26:47At the edge of the village, the boy's uncle points us
0:26:47 > 0:26:51to fresh leopard tracks, close to where his nephew was killed.
0:26:53 > 0:26:58Latpuk claims that man-eaters only hunt between 6.00 and 8.00,
0:26:58 > 0:27:01because that's when children are about.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05In his eyes, any leopard that shows up during these hours is fair game.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13That's the house, the one with the light on, where the boy was taken.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19Beyond the village, the track climbs steeply.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22There are likely to be several leopards in this area,
0:27:22 > 0:27:23all known to each other.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32This is where the leopard scratched.
0:27:32 > 0:27:33THEY SPEAK HINDI
0:27:35 > 0:27:38The problem is always trying to identify which is
0:27:38 > 0:27:39the responsible animal.
0:27:42 > 0:27:43Are they killing the right one?
0:27:49 > 0:27:51DOGS BARK
0:27:53 > 0:27:56There's some more tracks here.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58Look at this. And that.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01THEY SPEAK HINDI
0:28:01 > 0:28:03From using the hind legs.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08No clear paw prints are left at the scene of the attack,
0:28:08 > 0:28:12and in any case, it's almost impossible to identify
0:28:12 > 0:28:15an individual leopard from its tracks.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25By 8.30, we still haven't found the leopard,
0:28:25 > 0:28:27and Latpuk calls time.
0:28:32 > 0:28:37The Gaucher man-eater is still out here, and I'm left in two minds.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45I can understand people's fear, and their desire for justice,
0:28:45 > 0:28:51but in the wider scheme of things, I wonder if all this shooting
0:28:51 > 0:28:56is just creating more man-eaters and more misery.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03I leave Uttarakhand with more questions than I came with.
0:29:07 > 0:29:11600 miles south, in the state of Maharashtra,
0:29:11 > 0:29:14science is starting to give us some much needed answers.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24There's no jungle here at all.
0:29:24 > 0:29:28For mile upon mile, it's just villages and fields.
0:29:35 > 0:29:38But the sugar cane provides perfect cover.
0:29:42 > 0:29:46And for an ambush hunter with broad tastes, there's plenty to eat.
0:29:49 > 0:29:54In its own way, this densely settled farmland is a leopard's paradise.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02Everybody thinks the leopards have to be in the jungle,
0:30:02 > 0:30:06they can't be anywhere else, but nobody's told that to the leopards.
0:30:09 > 0:30:13I've come here to meet Dr Vidya Arthreya, the only person
0:30:13 > 0:30:17who's really studied leopards in a purely human landscape.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20THEY SPEAK HINDI
0:30:23 > 0:30:25It's her detective work
0:30:25 > 0:30:28that solved a crucial piece of the man-eating puzzle.
0:30:31 > 0:30:35The trouble began several years ago, when everyone decided
0:30:35 > 0:30:40that the leopards here belonged in the jungle and had to be sent back.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43The leopards were trapped from the sugar cane areas
0:30:43 > 0:30:45and released in the forest.
0:30:46 > 0:30:50106 leopards were captured in three years.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53Within a week or so of those releases,
0:30:53 > 0:30:55attacks on people started happening.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06The whole year before that, there were no attacks,
0:31:06 > 0:31:09and then there was this steep spike.
0:31:09 > 0:31:10We had 25 attacks.
0:31:15 > 0:31:19The leopards were going into houses, picking up children
0:31:19 > 0:31:20and dragging them away.
0:31:22 > 0:31:25In the whole of India, only the state of Uttarakhand was worse.
0:31:26 > 0:31:30What's difficult to understand is why should just taking
0:31:30 > 0:31:31a leopard from one place
0:31:31 > 0:31:34and putting it in another place cause all these problems?
0:31:34 > 0:31:37What effect would translocation have on a leopard?
0:31:37 > 0:31:41It seems that the actual act of capturing the animal leads to stress.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49People are around it, it gets injured.
0:31:51 > 0:31:55Every leopard captured here suffered a terrible ordeal.
0:31:57 > 0:32:02Highly stressed, the animals were taken up to 150 miles away
0:32:02 > 0:32:03and literally dumped.
0:32:03 > 0:32:07You take such an animal, and go put it in some forest?
0:32:07 > 0:32:09It's never seen a forest in its life.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12They don't know anything about that.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15So they're screwed up.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24Many of these release sites, they have their own leopards.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26It is a hostile environment.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31Rom, it's like picking you up and dropping you maybe in to Baghdad.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34It just leads to a much more stressed out leopard,
0:32:34 > 0:32:37in a place it doesn't know and they are hungry.
0:32:44 > 0:32:49And the most common thing for them to find in India is humans.
0:32:57 > 0:33:01I think that, to a very large extent, man-eaters are man-made.
0:33:01 > 0:33:06This simple idea, that messing with leopards is what turns them bad,
0:33:06 > 0:33:08is a fascinating thought.
0:33:10 > 0:33:13But I haven't forgotten about my leopard back home,
0:33:13 > 0:33:15and what it's capable of.
0:33:17 > 0:33:23The presence of a predatory animal means that problems could happen.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26The risk is never zero. But if you just let them be,
0:33:26 > 0:33:30then the problems are actually very, very little.
0:33:32 > 0:33:34Well, some people would make the argument,
0:33:34 > 0:33:37if there's even a slight risk, then why not just wipe them all out?
0:33:37 > 0:33:39It's not possible to wipe them all out.
0:33:39 > 0:33:41When you start killing the animals,
0:33:41 > 0:33:44that weakened territory is immediately filled up.
0:33:44 > 0:33:46Other animals from up to 100, 200 kilometres away
0:33:46 > 0:33:49come and stay in that area.
0:33:56 > 0:34:00Whether we like it or not, leopards tend to disperse out of forests.
0:34:01 > 0:34:03We don't have a choice.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06The leopards are going to be living near humans,
0:34:06 > 0:34:09and when you start killing them, the problem escalates.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16The attempt to rid these farmlands of leopards
0:34:16 > 0:34:18proved a tragic mistake for all.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23As well as leading to 18 human deaths,
0:34:23 > 0:34:27it also created dozens of orphaned and traumatised animals.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33So how many leopards are here now?
0:34:33 > 0:34:38At the moment we have 26 leopards that are not releasable.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42Once they grow big, then they just don't know their own strength.
0:34:42 > 0:34:43Sure.
0:34:48 > 0:34:52Kartick Satyanarayan is co-founder of Wildlife SOS,
0:34:52 > 0:34:57an outfit that cares for convicted man-eaters.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00Trapping is a big problem, because the minute the leopard is caught,
0:35:00 > 0:35:03- he's just going to go attack that trap cage like mad.- Yeah.
0:35:03 > 0:35:09To try and get away, and that's a huge problem because the trap cage
0:35:09 > 0:35:13is metal, and you know, he just breaks all his teeth,
0:35:13 > 0:35:17injures himself and just makes a complete mess of that leopard.
0:35:17 > 0:35:18SHOUTING AND GROWLING
0:35:22 > 0:35:24It's irreparably damaged.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27Who's this?
0:35:27 > 0:35:30This is Arjun. Sadly, he's a confirmed man-eater.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32You can't stand in front of him
0:35:32 > 0:35:36for more than a couple of minutes before he displays all his fangs.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40He still, I think, hates people.
0:35:40 > 0:35:42And of course, he's handsome as hell.
0:35:44 > 0:35:48Animals like this certainly can't be released.
0:35:50 > 0:35:51So what's this guy's story?
0:35:51 > 0:35:54This is Shiva. He's been here about eight years now.
0:36:00 > 0:36:06He would have probably been trapped in a very difficult situation.
0:36:06 > 0:36:10Stoned, probably mobbed, partly lynched.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13Then, got into a cage, and lived in a cage,
0:36:13 > 0:36:15which is the size of a dining table,
0:36:15 > 0:36:18for maybe three or four years before we got him into this.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24He doesn't want to have anything more to do with human beings.
0:36:27 > 0:36:31Unfortunately, I think there is going to be some collateral damage
0:36:31 > 0:36:33when people clash with wildlife,
0:36:33 > 0:36:36and that will result in places like this, lifetime care centres
0:36:36 > 0:36:39where you have to keep animals that can't be released.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47We don't want centres like this in the future.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50I think there's got to be a lot of emphasis on getting
0:36:50 > 0:36:52people to become more tolerant.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03Across large areas of Maharashtra,
0:37:03 > 0:37:07people are quietly adapting to the presence of big cats.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13Practically everyone I meet here has a leopard story.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15THEY SPEAK HINDI
0:37:15 > 0:37:18Yet, they don't seem to be living in fear.
0:37:20 > 0:37:25As you'd expect, the locals are pretty clued in.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28Kids don't wander around after dark,
0:37:28 > 0:37:32and many people fit their pet dogs with special protection.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36That's a wicked looking collar you've got there.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39Look at the spikes on this thing.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42Man, I can just imagine a leopard trying to grab at either
0:37:42 > 0:37:46the top or the bottom is going to have one very, very sore mouth.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49Watch out for leopards, I mean, despite your collar.
0:37:49 > 0:37:50You've got to be careful.
0:37:55 > 0:37:58At times, the local attitude to leopards
0:37:58 > 0:38:00goes way beyond mere tolerance.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03They actually rescue cats that land in trouble.
0:38:05 > 0:38:10Deep agricultural wells are one of the biggest pitfalls around here.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16Leopards often fall into them while chasing dogs,
0:38:16 > 0:38:20and fishing them out can take a lot of time and trouble.
0:38:20 > 0:38:21LEOPARD ROARS
0:38:24 > 0:38:26INDISTINCT SHOUTS
0:38:44 > 0:38:46After an all-clear from the vet,
0:38:46 > 0:38:49it'll be set free in its own territory.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53It's what works best for both villagers and leopards alike.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01There are over 500 people per square mile here,
0:39:01 > 0:39:05and a density of leopards comparable to a national park.
0:39:06 > 0:39:10So how do these cats adapt to living alongside so many of us?
0:39:15 > 0:39:19When Vidya tells me there's a fresh kill right next to a village,
0:39:19 > 0:39:22I'm eager to stake it out.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25There's a chance I'll be able to see how a leopard reacts
0:39:25 > 0:39:27to the presence of people.
0:39:33 > 0:39:34It's pitch black,
0:39:34 > 0:39:38but our thermal camera reveals every detail in the darkness.
0:39:53 > 0:39:55DOGS BARK
0:39:58 > 0:40:01Right now, the dogs are going at it.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05It will be interesting to see when the dogs actually leave.
0:40:05 > 0:40:07They might want to get the heck out of here.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18Leopards are not the only large carnivores
0:40:18 > 0:40:20thriving in this landscape.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27A hyena cruises in along the main road.
0:40:30 > 0:40:36Maybe it's got wind of the carcass, but it gives it a wide berth.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42Moments later, a leopard emerges to claim its meal.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51Oh, God.
0:41:09 > 0:41:13These sugar cane leopards are real heavyweights,
0:41:13 > 0:41:16larger even than many of their African cousins.
0:41:20 > 0:41:21He's tucking right in.
0:41:24 > 0:41:26I'm sure he can hear us.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28INDISTINCT CHATTERING
0:41:40 > 0:41:44He's gone away from the carcass now, he's lying down.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58He's totally relaxed. He might even be asleep.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01INDISTINCT CHATTERING
0:42:04 > 0:42:08There's that footpath behind, there are two people walking on it.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10He's got up.
0:42:12 > 0:42:16- He's really close to the people - He's very close to them.
0:42:19 > 0:42:20Oh, my God.
0:42:29 > 0:42:31They're so close! You know, it couldn't be...
0:42:31 > 0:42:34I'm sure those people don't know that the leopard is just behind them.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37No, they don't. They're walking right by.
0:42:37 > 0:42:39Is he looking at them, or what?
0:42:39 > 0:42:43I can't tell. He's certainly faced in that direction.
0:42:43 > 0:42:45Here, have a look.
0:42:51 > 0:42:55- He's, he's coming back to the kill. - He's coming back?- Yeah, yeah.
0:42:59 > 0:43:03This leopard is clearly very used to people.
0:43:03 > 0:43:07Having watched the pedestrians pass, he simply continues with his meal.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11This is quite a revelation to me, I'll tell you that.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14I've just never seen anything like it.
0:43:16 > 0:43:20Watching all this makes me a lot more relaxed about leopards.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23And with Vidya close behind,
0:43:23 > 0:43:25I decide to take the experiment a step further.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37The big cat immediately comes to check us out.
0:43:48 > 0:43:53Once it's gone back to its meal, I creep slowly toward it,
0:43:53 > 0:43:55armed only with my nightscope.
0:44:01 > 0:44:05As long as I'm watching him, I feel very cool with him.
0:44:05 > 0:44:09As soon as I look away, I'm not really quite sure where he is
0:44:09 > 0:44:11and I don't want to turn my back on him.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16MOTORBIKE APPROACHES
0:44:23 > 0:44:27A motorbike just went by behind him. He didn't even look up.
0:44:34 > 0:44:37He's hardly 40 feet away.
0:44:37 > 0:44:41Doesn't seem to be worried about me at all, I'm in full view of him.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54He's still feasting. God.
0:45:03 > 0:45:09This is a very different kind of leopard here. Amazing.
0:45:21 > 0:45:24These farmland leopards know how to blend in.
0:45:24 > 0:45:29Yet there may be an even more jaw dropping example of co-existence.
0:45:32 > 0:45:34For years, I've been hearing
0:45:34 > 0:45:38almost unbelievable stories about leopards in cities.
0:45:43 > 0:45:45Heaving with over 20 million people,
0:45:45 > 0:45:49it's the last place you'd expect to find big cats.
0:45:49 > 0:45:52Mumbai is India's biggest city,
0:45:52 > 0:45:55and the fourth largest metropolis in the world.
0:45:57 > 0:46:02Incredibly, it also has the highest density of wild leopards
0:46:02 > 0:46:04anywhere on Earth.
0:46:06 > 0:46:10This urban jungle is the ultimate test of their adaptability.
0:46:21 > 0:46:26This is the northern most tip of Bombay Island.
0:46:28 > 0:46:31North of here is a quite densely forested area,
0:46:31 > 0:46:32and it's perfect leopard habitat,
0:46:32 > 0:46:35and if they're going to come from anywhere,
0:46:35 > 0:46:37I would think it would be there.
0:46:57 > 0:46:59It was the late '70s
0:46:59 > 0:47:02when I started hearing stories about leopards in the city.
0:47:02 > 0:47:04Leopards taking dogs, taking goats.
0:47:06 > 0:47:08It was much later
0:47:08 > 0:47:12when we actually heard of people being killed by leopards here.
0:47:17 > 0:47:21Mumbai's leopards live mostly within Sanjay Gandhi National Park,
0:47:21 > 0:47:25a stretch of forest that's now been engulfed by concrete suburbs
0:47:25 > 0:47:28and crowded slums.
0:47:39 > 0:47:42It's around the outskirts of the park, along roads
0:47:42 > 0:47:46and among dwellings, that people are most likely to encounter leopards.
0:47:48 > 0:47:50THEY SPEAK HINDI
0:48:01 > 0:48:05For the most part, the cats are looking for their usual takeaway.
0:48:07 > 0:48:11A slum dog a week is enough to keep a leopard well fed.
0:48:15 > 0:48:19With over 150,000 strays walking around the streets,
0:48:19 > 0:48:22the city offers rich pickings.
0:48:43 > 0:48:45The surest way to deter leopards
0:48:45 > 0:48:49would be to clean up the garbage that attracts the dogs.
0:48:53 > 0:48:55But maybe this isn't necessary.
0:48:55 > 0:48:59I'm curious to find out if the city dwellers are as relaxed
0:48:59 > 0:49:03about leopards on their doorsteps as people in the countryside.
0:49:31 > 0:49:34Equipped with a torch and a nightscope,
0:49:34 > 0:49:36I head into a kind of buffer zone
0:49:36 > 0:49:38near the southern boundary of the park.
0:49:45 > 0:49:46A lot of people live in this area,
0:49:46 > 0:49:49and they're never far from a leopard.
0:49:55 > 0:49:58DOGS BARK
0:50:13 > 0:50:16THEY SPEAK HINDI
0:50:30 > 0:50:33HE SPEAKS HINDI
0:50:33 > 0:50:36He says that four leopards came by last night,
0:50:36 > 0:50:39first one and then a female with two cubs,
0:50:39 > 0:50:41and they were hanging out just a few feet in front of the door.
0:50:41 > 0:50:45He says, "We're not frightened of them, they're not going to hurt us,
0:50:45 > 0:50:47"but they will definitely come for the dogs".
0:50:51 > 0:50:54DOGS WHINE AND BARK
0:50:58 > 0:51:01HE SPEAKS HINDI
0:51:01 > 0:51:03It gets pretty hot and stuffy inside,
0:51:03 > 0:51:07so he sleeps outside every night, and a lot of other people do too.
0:51:19 > 0:51:23People seem to be fairly laid back about leopards.
0:51:23 > 0:51:27They invariably have their children sleeping between the adults.
0:51:31 > 0:51:33DOGS BARK
0:51:33 > 0:51:35The dogs are very important to them,
0:51:35 > 0:51:38because they tell them when the leopards are around.
0:51:38 > 0:51:42If they do hear the dogs, they'll quickly call the kids inside.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55No-one here is complacent. They do take precautions.
0:51:57 > 0:52:01The fact is, people have been attacked and killed, right here.
0:52:02 > 0:52:06But there's no great furore to shoot the leopard.
0:52:11 > 0:52:13DOGS BARK
0:52:13 > 0:52:15Wow, the dogs are really going nuts now.
0:52:20 > 0:52:22They're a bit hysterical.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25There's obviously a leopard close by.
0:52:49 > 0:52:54Fresh paw marks. Very fresh. Just look at the edge of the tracks,
0:52:54 > 0:52:57they're just made a couple of minutes ago.
0:53:11 > 0:53:15After just three hours of searching, I spot my first urban leopard.
0:53:18 > 0:53:21She's lying in some fairly thick grass,
0:53:21 > 0:53:24so it's not that easy to see her, but she's very calm.
0:53:24 > 0:53:27She's staring at us. Hardly 40 or 50 feet away.
0:53:35 > 0:53:39The city leopard looks as relaxed and confident as any I've seen.
0:53:41 > 0:53:45She's in her own neighbourhood, in a world she knows,
0:53:45 > 0:53:47which makes her a much safer animal.
0:53:59 > 0:54:03Jungle leopards eat anything from buffalos down to termites.
0:54:05 > 0:54:12In cities, the menu shifts to rats, dogs, rotting carcasses
0:54:12 > 0:54:15and even hospital waste.
0:54:26 > 0:54:32She's going in the other direction, and disappeared into the bushes.
0:54:57 > 0:55:00I can't imagine Londoners or New Yorkers
0:55:00 > 0:55:02being so cool about leopards on their streets.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07As millions sleep, there are leopards here,
0:55:07 > 0:55:09going about their business.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13DOGS BARK
0:55:16 > 0:55:20They're watching the world go by and hanging out on park benches.
0:55:24 > 0:55:27But so long as we're not hassling them,
0:55:27 > 0:55:29it just doesn't seem to be a big deal.
0:55:45 > 0:55:48This is totally amazing.
0:56:00 > 0:56:03What's particularly interesting about Maharashtra,
0:56:03 > 0:56:08this state, is that the results of translocation have been
0:56:08 > 0:56:11an increase in conflict - more people getting killed.
0:56:14 > 0:56:17So the authorities are reluctant to do any translocation,
0:56:17 > 0:56:21despite the fact that some human fatalities have taken place.
0:56:25 > 0:56:28Increasing vigilance and doing their patrolling,
0:56:28 > 0:56:32and of course warning people and getting people to learn to
0:56:32 > 0:56:38live with animals like this could make a difference.
0:56:38 > 0:56:40It may be working.
0:56:56 > 0:57:01It's just incredible to me that a large predator like a leopard
0:57:01 > 0:57:05can live amongst people, and in most cases, without any big problems.
0:57:09 > 0:57:11For centuries,
0:57:11 > 0:57:14these amazing cats have found ways to exploit our world.
0:57:16 > 0:57:18Whether we like it or not,
0:57:18 > 0:57:22I've seen that their versatility means they're here to stay.
0:57:24 > 0:57:27Though living with leopards is never risk free,
0:57:27 > 0:57:31it's only when we mess with them that they seem to bite back.
0:57:36 > 0:57:38The other half of the story
0:57:38 > 0:57:41is the remarkable willingness of ordinary people
0:57:41 > 0:57:43to live alongside these big cats.
0:57:46 > 0:57:49And for me, there's a big lesson here.
0:57:49 > 0:57:51The future of animals like leopards
0:57:51 > 0:57:55doesn't just depend on finding space in a crowded world.
0:57:58 > 0:58:01Whether it's in my own back yard or anywhere else,
0:58:01 > 0:58:05it also depends on people's capacity for tolerance.
0:58:27 > 0:58:30Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd