Shimla, June 10 (IANS): Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Wednesday said there is a need to create awareness about the habits, movements and activities of leopards so that humans can develop an approach to live with them harmoniously.

"Over centuries we are living with the wild cats in close proximity and certain incidents of conflict between them are a natural phenomenon. This may lead to loss of wildlife or vice-versa," he said.

Speaking at a workshop on 'Living with leopards' here, he said there was a need to generate mass awareness and carry out sensitisation programmes all over the state on man-animal conflict.

He said that even in Shimla town leopards do live in close proximity with human beings without causing any harm and sometimes venture out in the town.

Official sources said barring a few pockets of Shimla, Mandi and Hamirpur districts where 219 cases of mauling were reported in the last seven years, there has been an overall decline in leopard attacks on humans. A total of 306 cases of leopard attacks were reported in the state in 10 years.

"The government would spare no effort and resources to see forests grow and survive and wildlife species protected," said the chief minister, adding the state wildlife wing has done a commendable job in captive breeding of endangered species like the western tragopan, the cheer pheasant, the snow leopard and the Himalayan monal.

Going down memory lane, the octogenarian, who is at the helm for his sixth term, said there was a time when 95,000 fir trees were axed annually in the state for making apple boxes for packaging and marketing.

"The government took a stringent stand and completely banned the use of wooden cartons to replace them by corrugated boxes to save the forest wealth," he added.