The State government has been urged to establish genetic laboratories given the increase in human-wildlife conflict in Karnataka and the imperatives of mitigating them.
Though animals in conflict like leopards and tigers are routinely captured, there is no significant decline in the conflict numbers. Hence, there is a perception that in some situations the animal in conflict may not have been captured and could be different from those identified on the basis of camera trap images.
Because of the increase in conflicts involving leopards and tigers, Dr. Sanjay Gubbi, a wildlife scientist, has urged the State government to establish genetic laboratories so that the exact animal involved in conflict could be identified through DNA samples and captured.
