Co-existence of large carnivores and Dhangar community in Maharashtra’s Western Ghats: is it close to the tipping point?

Sonal Prabhulkar, Sadaf Kadvekar, Jini Subhash Deshmane, Milind Watve

Gavli Dhangar are semi-nomadic pastorals scattered in small hamlets along the western ghats and Konkan area who mainly keep cattle and buffalo. The Sahyadri Tiger Reserve was established in 2010 relocating some of the hamlets while others continued to occupy their traditional habitats overlapping with three species of large mammalian carnivores. While leopard presence continued over a long time, dhole expanded their range considerably after 2019. In addition to the transient presence of some tigers, three females were relocated here in 2025-26. We studied the patterns in livestock depredation by these carnivores over six years and their effect on Dhangar livelihood. Data from 25 hamlets constituting 122 households was collected by oral histories, livestock count and compensation claims. The community harbors a small-number-high-quality pastoralism desirable for the habitat. The average household held only 4.6 cattle and 5.88 buffaloes. However, the frequency of carnivore attacks increased considerably over the last few years. Since the predation rate approaches the natural female replacement rate, the situation might be already at or close to a tipping point where the livestock cannot be sustained. The increasing carnivore attacks have threatened co-existence making the outcomes unpredictable.