Mumbai Leopards May Prevent 1,000 Dog Bites a Year by Killing 1,500 Strays

1 articles · Updated · spacedaily.com · Aug 25

A 2018 University of Queensland modeling study estimated leopards in Mumbai’s Sanjay Gandhi National Park could avert about 1,000 dog bites and 90 rabies infections a year.
The projected benefit comes from diet: as many as 41 leopards were estimated to eat roughly 1,500 stray dogs annually, with dogs making up about 40% of their prey.
Mumbai records nearly 75,000 dog bites a year, has about 90,757 to 95,000 stray dogs, and has logged more than 420 rabies deaths from stray-dog bites over two decades.
People living near the park may face far fewer bites—about 11% of the level farther away—and the cats could save the city roughly $18,000 a year in dog-control costs.
The authors stress the findings are modeled, not proven causation: leopards remain a real danger, with attacks on people peaking at 25 cases in 2002, so the study frames a trade-off rather than a policy prescription.