Traditionally the forest guards have used live bait—such as a goat tied to a tree—to lure the leopard into a large camouflaged hole.
As well as being unpleasant for the goat, this method can also result in injury to the leopard when it crashes into the hole.
Wildlife activists are welcoming the new ringtone initiative as a gentler approach.
"It is a lot more humane than letting the leopard fall into a trap," said Carole Baskin, founder and CEO of the nonprofit Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida.
Global Solution?
Gujarat isn't the only place where villagers have a problem with visiting leopards.
The most widespread of the big cats, leopards can be found in India, Africa, China, Siberia, and Korea.
They are very adaptable and live in forests, jungles, cold mountainous regions, open savannas, and even urban areas.
But many subspecies of leopard, such as the Amur leopard in Russia, are critically endangered because of reduction in habitat and competition for space with humans.
(Related photo: "Rare Leopardess Killed—Only 6 Remain" [April 23, 2007].)
As part of efforts to preserve the animals, there is hope that India's new, more humane capture technique could be applied worldwide.
But Baskin isn't convinced that capturing and re-releasing leopards is a long-term solution to the problem.
"Leopards have a huge range," she said, "so rangers are unlikely to be able to take them far enough away to prevent them from coming back again."
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