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Video length: 4 min
In Mumbai, the harsh coexistence of residents with leopards
In Mumbai, the harsh coexistence of residents with leopards
(France 2)
As a result of urbanization, Mumbai, India, is encroaching on the territory of leopards, who no longer hesitate to come to feed in the city. Some attacks are fatal, but a shelter works to protect them.
With its 22 million inhabitants, Mumbai, formerly Bombay, in India, is an urban jungle which transforms once night falls into a leopard hunting ground. And for good reason, Mumbai is the city with the highest density of leopards in the world. These wild animals prowl parking lots and gardens in search of prey, and set their sights on stray dogs.
A resident of a Mumbai suburb sees leopards roaming near his home almost every week. “I used to have dogs and chickens, but the leopards killed them all”he explains, worried about his granddaughter. Because on the edge of the city, the leopard sometimes attacks residents. A woman recounts the attack she suffered. These encounters are the consequence of the extension of the metropolis, which now extends to the gates of the natural park, where around fifty wild leopards have been recorded. A refuge inside the park shelters the wild animals responsible for attacks.
Watch the full report in the video above.