Maharashtra forest minister and BJP leader Ganesh Naik on Monday sparked a controversy after he revealed that he had once kept a deer and leopard cubs under his care but released them after becoming the forest minister. Speaking at a gathering organised by the State Muslim Khatik community at Vishnudas Bhave Natyagruha in Vashi, Naik said someone from Marathwada had brought a deer to him and he had kept it under his care. “Someone from Marathwada brought a baby deer for me. I asked him from where did he get it, he said the deer came with a herd of goats. I then kept the deer with me. However, once I became the forest minister, I released it because keeping wildlife is not allowed. I even had leopard cubs but we can't keep it. We can take care of them with love but it's an offence to keep wild animals,” said Naik. The forest minister said releasing animals was necessary due to law on private ownership of wildlife. Under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, possession of wild animals is illegal, and public officials are expected to comply with the law. Naik is a guardian minister of Thane and is consider to be a rival of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
