Aug 12, Colombo: A program to educate Grama Niladhari officers on reducing conflicts between leopards and people in central hills was held Friday at the Horton Plains National Forest Headquarters.

The awareness program was conducted by the Research and Training Division of the Department of Wildlife Conservation, Wildlife Officers in charge of Horton Plains National Park and Samanala Adaviya forest reserve, and Wildlife Officers in charge of Galway's National Park Nuwara Eliya.

This program has been conducted to raise awareness on the many deaths and injury of leopards roaming around tea plantations in search of prey, and getting caught in the mesh wire traps set up by people to hunt animals, and leopard attacks on the people working in tea plantations.

In order to reduce the human-leopard conflict, steps have been taken to inform the estate workers community and the estate management authority, and along with the awareness program, steps have also been taken to inform the Grama Niladhari officers.