Local conservationists use genetics to raise leopard conservation awareness in Kathmandu valley.

Our lack of leopard knowledge through scientifically approached methods means currently, we do not have the baselines to mitigate a concrete conservation action plan for leopard protection.

The leopard (Panthera pardus) needs no further introduction in 2019. The fourth largest of the big cats (after the tiger, lion, and jaguar), it is a vital apex predator in our mid-hill ecosystem (Kathmandu valley) that modulates predator-prey behavior, maintains ecological health by weeding out the weak and slow resulting in a healthier prey base that ultimately sustains bottom feeding trophic levels in our food chain.

To Kathmandu, the leopard is a vital ecological quality control marker that keeps all levels of our ecosystem in check, but currently, its existence in the valley is seriously threatened, and until we begin a concerted effort for its protection, we will witness a dramatic plunge in their numbers. Our neighbors in India have lost an estimate 500 leopards in 2018 alone. Furthermore, it has been reported on national media that leopards are the most poached species of Kathmandu valley and that the valley has become a major illegal wildlife trading hub for leopard skin and body parts trading. Fewer than 1000 are currently “told” to be hovering in country with no known scientific baselines collected through a concerted conservation effort. Moreover, the leopard does not fall under the 27 protected species enlisted as per the National Park and Wildlife Conservation Act 2029 BS, and while the tiger and snow leopard have demigod statuses in the Terai and Himal, benefiting from strong national consensuses in protection and conservation action plans, awareness programs, monetary funding and tangible targeted protection. The same sentiments aren’t echoed for the leopard with numbers drastically decreasing due to illegal poaching, human-animal conflict, and rapid urbanization encroachment into original leopard habitat. Recent cases like those at Arghakhanchi come and go, but the research into why they occur are never investigated. Therefore, the urgency to begin our belated conservation research on the leopard is now.

The Kathmandu Leopard Project (KLP), implemented in 2018 by conservation geneticists and data scientists at the Center for Molecular Dynamics-Nepal (CMDN) are studying leopards in the Kathmandu valley using the most comprehensive multipronged scientific approach addressing a host of ecological and man-made issues related to leopard conservation in the valley. Principal Investigator (PI) Prajwol Manandhar, a wildlife lover/leopard conservationist and data scientist at CMDN secured The Rufford Foundation’s Conservation Grant funding in 2018 through which his team was able to study leopard distribution dynamics in Kathmandu valley primarily using non-invasive genetics (molecular study of host feces).

Scats from the six major hills surrounding Kathmandu valley (Chandragiri, Shivapuri, Nagarjun, Phulchowki, Indradaha, Nagarkot) were collected by Manandhar and his proactive team of wildlife biologists (Naresh Kusi, Sandesh Lamichhane, Suman Bhandari, Purna Man Shrestha) where the DNA footprint (building genetic blocks of life) of each collected leopard scat is being used to identify the DNA fingerprint of individual leopards, its sex, its movement patterns, genetic closeness and country’s first molecular assessment of their diet. Moreover, Manandhar’s team of molecular geneticists were also able to detect the jungle cat, leopard cat and even the yellow-throated marten (Martes flavigula) using the same genetic analyses for the remaining scat that were not all targeted to be leopards. Manandhar claims apart from leopards, there is far less knowledge on lesser-known small cats that have their own significance to our ecosystem. Jungle cats for example are known to keep agricultural rodent populations in check in agricultural land and leopard cats maintain the population of other small mammals in intact forests.

Moreoever, CMDN’s wildlife geneticists Jyoti Joshi and Hemanta Chaudhary have also run a regional first leopard diet analysis using high throughput Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology that has created the country’s first leopard diet assessment using genomics known as metabarcoding.

This technology is so immensely powerful as it allows one to assess the entire biodiversity landscape through a singular leopard scat indicating not only what these predators feed upon, but also what their prey base looks like, thus showing patterns of feeding behavior. Kathmandu’s leopards are seen to be feeding on traditionally expected barking deer, wild boars and primates like monkeys, but surprisingly they have also been feeding largely on local poultry and cattle as per the preliminary data. Despite being early days, it veins clearly into the highly adaptive behavior of leopards and could indicate that near human settlements with cattle/poultry, leopards could be compelled to feed on easy prey.

The Kathmandu Leopard Project will pilot a research culture to study the leopards unlike ever studied before, this learning will be vital to mitigate optimal conservation action using evidence based scientific knowledge on the animals movement and feeding behavior. KLP will have become the first study of its kind that collects geo-spatial and distributional data derived from genetic knowledge that enables wildlife researchers and specifically policy makers to make better informed conservation decisions. The baseline genetic database acts as a reference point to tackle increasing cases of rampant illegal wildlife trade in Kathmandu. CMDNs researchers have managed to develop a leopard specific genetic identification assay which can now be used to verify the detection of real against counterfeit leopard body parts, a common trend in the world of illegal wildlife trade. This was performed previously to assist the Nepal Police Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) with tiger body parts trading as well. (https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0201639)

Kathmandu's rapidly urbanizing landscape towards the basal fringes of the mid-hills have direct impact on the behaviour of species such as leopards. KLPs data suggests as is known of the highly adaptive nature of leopards, how vast, wide and distant a stretch they can travel cutting through terrains, urban or forest based. Baseline numbers, population assessment, gene flow might sound complicated concepts, but they are the fundamental elements of conservation genetics which allows for data motivated mitigation strategies. Using innovative technologies that are evidence based and backed up by everyday real science, we can ensure that a species as important to Kathmandu as the leopard gets key priority in the mid-hill landscape. Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park’s warden and rangers from Kathmandu valley have been particularly helpful in the pursuit and knowledge building process as it is our composite duty to work with experts from various disciplines and backgrounds to improve and enact urgently on the protection status of the leopard. It is of high necessity that community forests’ stakeholders be also involved and made aware about leopard conservation programs as most of leopard habitat lie outside of protected area system in Nepal. Using multi-dynamic approaches such as genetics, GIS mapping, citizen science knowledge, local law enforcement through the consensus of the national government, leopards can and should be protected as it is our duty to protect a species of such magnificence which serves more for our ecology than we know.

Sherchan is Head of Operations at the Center for Molecular Dynamics-Nepal, involved in terrestrial and aquatic conservation genetics. (All photo and slide credits: Prajwol Manandhar)