Leopard Spotted Again At Pune Airport; Forest Dept Steps Up Trapping Efforts

A leopard had been sighted again at the Pune international airport premises on Saturday, confirmed officials of the Pune forest department. The assistant conservator of forests, Mangesh Tate, told TOI that they had received a message from the Pune airport authorities a couple of days back on the same. 

“The airport administration informed us that the leopard was seen; however, they have not provided us with any picture of the animal. It might have got inside the airport via some openings on the airside. An eye is being kept,” the official said.

Sources said that it is the same leopard seen in the Pune airport premises some months back, and it was sighted near the taxiway at around 1.30 am on Friday night, and this didn’t affect any air traffic. 

Explaining about the Leopard’s behaviour, Tate said, “Leopards are shy animals, and they have a marked territory in which they move. The animal has been moving in its territory, and the airport area is a part of it. As it moves around, it passes through the airport. If the airport officials and the other stakeholders take steps towards identifying and blocking its path through which it enters the airport, it won’t be able to come in.” 

Moreover, officials said that cages and trap cameras had been set up at various points outside the airport area to catch the animal. A source in the airport told TOI that the message had been circulated by the AAI about the animal’s presence. 

Leopard Sighting Since April

A fully grown male leopard was sighted first time, a few meters from the runway on April 28, 2025. Following this, there were multiple sightings and airport officials, as well as IAF authorities, said that many steps, including blocking some of the stormwater drains, had been taken. 

A leopard was last sighted in mid-August inside the Pune airport, said ResQ team officials. And even recently, some villages in Lohegaon had claimed that they had spotted a leopard around, and since then, forest department officials have been searching for it.