It wasn't a usual Sunday for the residents of Pimpri-Chinchwad's Nigdi area. Fear gripped them after they learned that two leopards were freely roaming in their vicinity.
Forest department officials quickly arrived after being informed about the presence of the wild cats. They laid a trap and managed to capture one of the leopards at Sant Kabir Garden, located in Sector 24, while the other evaded capture.
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With one leopard still on the loose, Nigdi residents are frightened to step out of their homes and are requesting officials to catch it as soon as possible.
Videos of the leopards freely roaming the streets have gone viral on social media, spreading an atmosphere of terror among the residents.
Meanwhile, after being faced with a growing leopard population and a rise in attacks on human settlements, the Maharashtra government has proposed sterilisation as a solution. Forest Minister Ganesh Naik recently announced that a proposal to implement leopard sterilisation for population control will soon be submitted to the Central government.
“Currently, the state is experiencing a significant increase in the leopard population. In the Junnar and Ambegaon regions of Pune district, extensive sugarcane cultivation over the past 15 to 20 years has depleted their natural habitat, forcing leopards to stray into human settlements. To address this, sterilisation is being considered as a potential solution. If necessary, discussions will also be held with Union ministers,” said Naik.
Speaking about the movement of wild animals into human settlements, the forest minister highlighted the escalating conflict between wildlife and farmers in the state. He noted that wild animals are causing considerable damage to agriculture, and the compensation provided to farmers may need to be revised. Naik assured that necessary improvements would be made after reviewing the situation.
Earlier, Shirur MP Amol Kolhe had raised the issue in Parliament, urging the Centre to consider sterilisation as a solution to prevent leopard attacks on humans. A similar petition has also been filed in the Bombay High Court. The demand is now gaining momentum across the state.
