Research overview: leopard attacks on people in Pauri Garhwal, Himalaya

This overview examines persistent leopard predation on humans in the Pauri Garhwal hills of Uttarakhand, India, a region with a long history of so-called man-eating leopards. It synthesises work on the social-ecological drivers: out-migration leaving villages with abandoned fields and reduced vigilance, dense scrub regrowth providing cover near homes, declining natural prey, free-ranging dogs, and outdoor toileting and grazing that expose people. The literature considers victim demographics, the role of individual habitual man-eaters, and management responses including removal of specific animals and habitat and behavioural interventions. The survey situates Himalayan leopard conflict within agrarian change and landscape transformation.