'Man-eater' leopard shot dead in Pune district

Pune, Nov 5 (PTI) A "man-eater" leopard that had struck terror in Shirur tehsil of Pune district, which has reported cases of human-animal conflict over a month, has been killed by sharpshooters, forest officials said on Wednesday.

The operation was carried out on Tuesday night after the team traced the elusive feline through the pugmark near Pimparkhed village and attempted to tranquillise.

In the last month, two minors and an elderly person were killed in leopard attacks in the Mauje Pimparkhed area of Shirur tehsil, sparking protests across Junnar, Shirur, Ambegaon, and Khed talukas for action.

After the death of a 13-year-old boy in a leopard attack near Pimparkhed village on Sunday, enraged locals set ablaze a forest department vehicle. The forest authorities subsequently ordered the capture and "elimination" of the animal.

"The leopard was spotted 400 to 500 metres from the attack site on Tuesday night. The team of sharpshooters fired a tranquillising dart, but it was ineffective. As the leopard became aggressive and approached the team, the shooters opened fire at around 10.30 pm, resulting in the animal's death. The leopard was estimated to be 5 to 6 years old," an official from Junnar forest division said.

The carcass was shown to villagers and later shifted to the Manikdoh Rescue Centre for postmortem, the official said.

The official stated that two leopards had been captured near Pimparkhed and Jambut villages, separated by nearly 8 km, on Tuesday and Wednesday. One person was killed in a leopard attack last month in Jambut.

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.

The abundant water supply, growing human population engaged in agriculture, and the rising number of domestic animals have created a conducive environment for leopards to inhabit these farmlands.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said the state government has raised the spike in leopard attacks with the Centre and is considering sterilisation and relocation measures to control their population in Pune and nearby districts.

He had said there are around 1,300 leopards in Pune and Ahilyanagar districts.

Meanwhile, a green activist from Thane has called for adopting a science-based, humane strategy for managing human-wildlife conflict.

"Protecting human lives is essential. But the solution lies in fixing the landscape, not eliminating the wildlife," NatConnect Foundation director B N Kumar said, seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention. PTI SPK GK NSK