A leopard was sighted in Pune’s Bavdhan area in the wee hours of Monday. The leopard was seen on NDA Pashan Main Road near D Palace Restaurant in Bavdhan. Bavdhan Police were notified immediately by a resident, Dilip Vede Patil, soon after which the officials of Maharashtra Forest Department’s Pune Division rushed to the reported spot. The forest officials confirmed that the sighting was genuine, and the team RESQ started the search operation.
A leopard was again sighted on Tuesday near the forest garden (Van-udyan) on Pashan Road in Bavdhan shortly after midnight on December 1. As a safety measure, the garden has been temporarily closed to the public, and camera traps are being installed to monitor the area.
Speaking to the Free Press Journal, Patil said, "I spotted the leopard on Monday midnight, and then immediately informed the police and forest department. The forest and team RESQ started the search, and till now we haven't been able to catch the big cat. But as a safety measure, around 10 cameras have been installed near Ram Nala, a natural corridor connecting green patches in the region.”
“Someone called us in the morning and informed us that a big cat was seen near the Ramnadi at around 8:45. We walked for two hours near the river to trace its movement. Obviously, there is some amount of fear amongst the citizens, but forest Officials have assured the residents that there's nothing to be concerned about, and they have also urged the citizens to stay alert and now move out in the dark alone,” Patil added.
The forest officials said, "The National Defence Academy (NDA) landscape itself supports multiple leopards, and the leopard was moving along the Ramnadi. Leopards are known to inhabit the hills around the National Defence Academy (NDA), which connect to the forests in Mulshi, making occasional sightings in adjoining urban areas possible.”
“For public safety, we have decided to close the garden, which is frequently visited for morning walks and by children. RESQ’s team is setting up camera traps, and regular monitoring of the area will continue,” he added.
The residents of Bavdhan are demanding school closure as kids are more prone to getting attacked by the big cat because of their height. However, no official notice has come out regarding this.
Baba Sayyed, resident of Pashan, said, “The forest department is in deep slumber; they are waking up only when they are alerted by the local that they have spotted a leopard. I live near a forest area, and no directives or guidelines have been shared. The residents are not aware of what to do when they encounter the big cat.”
“The forest department should conduct an awareness drive in the areas surrounded by forest so that locals remain alert. Also, the timings of schools near forest areas should be changed as they have been for rural parts of Pune. We got to know that a leopard was sitting in Bavdhan through social media, but we don't know whether to believe it or not. The authorities should conduct awareness camps,” added Sayyed.
The officials also highlighted the challenges faced by them in identifying whether the image or the video shared by the local is not AI-generated and genuine. An official highlighted that, "Earlier we used to receive around 10 calls in a month regarding spotting a leopard, but now the forest department is receiving almost 40 calls a day, and it's becoming difficult to identify the genuineness of the calls, which is likely going to delay the rescue operation."
“Many local citizens are circulating AI-generated photos and videos on social media without verifying their authenticity. I appeal to all media colleagues to publish accurate and verified information through newspapers and news channels, so that public awareness on this issue can be strengthened,” said Mangesh Tate, Assistant Forest Conservator, Pune.
