Pune: Amid Leopard Attacks, Global Experts Train Maharashtra Forest Officers On Wildlife Conflict Management

A specialised international training session on human-wildlife conflict management was conducted in Pune on Friday. The Maharashtra Forest Department organised the programme under the guidance of Ashish Thakre, Conservator of Forests, Pune Forest Circle, in collaboration with RESQ Charitable Trust.

More than 40 forest officers from the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, Junnar, and the Pune and Solapur divisions took part in the session. These officers are actively involved in managing forest areas, responding to conflict situations, and handling wildlife-related emergencies.

Wildlife capture and operations experts from South Africa, associated with the Legacy Wildlife Foundation and VetX, attended the session. Among them were wildlife capture and operations specialist Hine Schumann and wildlife veterinarian Dr Josephine Skarup Petersen. They shared global best practices in wildlife management, strategies to reduce human-wildlife conflict, approaches to wildlife population control, and techniques for safely capturing wild animals.

The discussions emphasised field-level applications, scientific forest-area management, wildlife welfare, and ecosystem-based approaches. The enthusiastic participation of officers and detailed technical interactions contributed to the success of the session.

Speaking about the initiative, Conservator of Forests Ashish Thakre said that although South Africa’s species, conditions and history differ from those of Maharashtra, several principles and methods presented by the experts can be valuable for local operations. He added that such training programmes play a vital role in enhancing the capacity of forest personnel.

Tuhin Satarkar, Director of Wildlife Operations at RESQ Charitable Trust, said, “Knowledge exchange helps broaden perspectives and improves decision-making in real situations.” He noted that collaborations with experts from other countries help build networks that support problem-solving in the field. He expressed gratitude to the Maharashtra Forest Department for consistently supporting progressive initiatives in wildlife management.