A Small Goat, A Giant Leap for Coexistence
24 July 2025 marks a milestone in HEAL’s journey to protect Purulia’s wild carnivores.
For the very first time, the Simni Seed Goat Bank—a fully community-managed initiative supported by WWF India’s Conservation Catalyst Program—provided a replacement goat to a herder who lost one to a wild carnivore.
Earlier this week, Bimal Mahato, from Haratan village lost a goat to a wild carnivore attack. Upon discovering the half-eaten carcass in the forest, he made a significant decision—not to retrieve or sell the remaining meat, but to leave it behind for the carnivore to return and feed.
This response, facilitated by local volunteers trained and supported by HEAL, ensured calm prevailed in the village. The incident was reported promptly, and no retaliatory action followed.
Crucial to this outcome was the swift coordination between the local volunteer team in Haratan and the Goat Bank Management Committee in Simni, showcasing how grassroots-led conservation models can shift attitudes and actions.
Purulia’s semi-arid, mult-iuse landscape supports a remarkable range of carnivores — from leopards and wolves to jackals and Bengal foxes. As forests, grasslands, and scrublands shrank, these animals increasingly became dependent on livestock, poultry waste, and carrion, leading to occasional conflict. While smaller carnivores are generally tolerated, larger species often trigger, retaliation — some recorded, many not.
To address this, HEAL launched the ‘Protecting Purulia’s Carnivores’ project in 2024 under WWF India’s Conservation Catalyst Programme. A key initiative under this was the creation of a Seed Goat Bank in Simni village, by providing 10 goats to a village-level committee comprising 13 members from Simni. The first replacement, given to Mahato, came from one of the bank’s earliest litters.
This moment marks a rare but hopeful change in a landscape once marred by conflict—an early sign that coexistence is not only possible, but already unfolding.
We once again thank WWF India for their continued support for this cause.
