Pune: Maharashtra will be the first state to engage in sustainable management of population for leopards, announced the forest minister of state, Ganesh Naik, on Monday. The Maharashtra forest department received approval for the birth control project from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
Following a surge in leopard attacks across Junnar, Ambegaon, Khed, and Shirur tehsils in Pune District, the state government approved Rs 11.25 crore for measures to curb man-animal conflict on 4th November. Similar facilities will also be extended to Nashik and Ahilyanagar ahead of the upcoming Simhastha Kumbh Mela, which will witness a massive crowd, scheduled to begin on 31st October 2026 in Nashik. The officials are gearing up for the mega event and said that they will be following the Pune pattern to mitigate the leopard attacks.
According to the Wildlife Institute of India, there are 6 to 7 leopards for every 100 sq km in the Junnar forest division in Pune district. There are around 1,300 leopards in the Pune and Ahilyanagar districts. The abundant water supply, growing human population engaged in agriculture, and rising number of domestic animals have created a conducive environment for leopards to inhabit these farmlands.
Since April this year, five human deaths have been reported due to the leopard attack in Pune district. In the past five years, the figures have gone up to a total of 21 human deaths in Pune district, mainly in Junnar and Shirur tehsils.
The Maharashtra forest department has directed the Pune forest circle, which includes the Pune and Junnar divisions, to prepare an action plan for leopard sterilisation. After six months of the plan's execution, the reports will be submitted to the Centre.
Chief Conservator of Forest, Pune Division, Ashish Thakare said, "Currently, we don't have any standard operating procedure to mitigate the leopard attack. However, we will be forming a separate committee which will be led by the deputy conservator of forest, Junnar Division. The committee will also draft the SOP for the other regions to follow. It's the first of its kind for the sterilisation of the leopards in the state. It's a trial project, and we will follow the Pune pattern for human-animal conflict in Ahilyanagar and Nashik to mitigate the leopard attack."
Meanwhile, in view of safeguarding the students, the Ahilyanagar District collector ordered to change the timings of the schools, which will be effective from Tuesday. Earlier, the school timings were from 12pm to 6pm, which has now been changed to 12pm to 4pm.
