'Man-eater' leopard shot dead in Pune district, two felines captured

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 it.

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.

A senior forest official from the Junnar forest Division said he was "99 per cent" sure that the leopard shot dead by sharpshooters was the same one that had killed a 13-year-old boy in Pimparkhed on Sunday.

"The pugmarks found at the spot indicated that it is the same animal that had attacked the boy. However, the identity can be ascertained only after the DNA analysis of the carcass," he added.

Officials said the search for other felines on the prowl will go on as a team of sharpshooters and forest personnel are camping in the area, and multiple cages have been set up.

"We have received confirmation to shift the captured leopards to Vantara," the senior official added.

The forest department had sent a proposal to the Centre seeking the sterilisation of the leopards, said Smita Rajhans, Assistant Conservator of Forests of the Junnar Forest Division.

"The proposal is likely to be approved," she added.

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. PTI SPK GK NSK