Leopard mauls 7 people in Nagpur residential area; captured after tense operation, vehicle transporting it breaks down midway

Due to poor visibility and the congested surroundings, tranquillising the animal proved difficult, and two darts had to be fired by the team before the leopard could be sedated and captured. The leopard has been kept at the TTC for further treatment and observation.

The leopard has been kept at the TTC for further treatment and observation. (Express Photo by Dhananjay Khedkar)

During the operation, the leopard tried to attack members of the TTC team, the senior official said, adding that workers could have been seriously injured. Further complications arose when the vehicle transporting the sedated leopard broke down midway, forcing officials to arrange a smaller rented vehicle to complete the transport.

Speaking to The Indian Express on the condition of anonymity, a senior official from the TTC raised concern over the lack of funds and safety equipment. “Our rescue team mainly consists of contract workers who work on lower salaries and have no insurance. If something happens to them, who will take responsibility? Today, three team members were attacked,” the official said.

The animal was later captured by officials from the Transit Treatment Centre (TTC), located in the Seminary Hills area, after a challenging operation. (Express Photo by Dhananjay Khedkar)

He alleged that the Nagpur forest division was severely underfunded. “We apply for regular expenses every year in March or April, but large funds are sanctioned for cities that don’t even have forests. Our vehicles are due for servicing, and we don’t even have proper uniforms or safety shields. During today’s rescue, we had to use police shields,” he added.

Despite the challenges, the official said the forest department continued to respond to distress calls. “Our team is committed and strong, but at the very least, we need basic protective gear and proper facilities to carry out these dangerous rescue operations safely.”

“If these attacks happen in cities like Mumbai, Pune, and Nashik, this becomes a topic of concern for the Government, but Nagpur has been largely neglected, even when there is wildlife around the city,” the official said.

During the operation, the leopard tried to attack members of the TTC team, the senior official said, adding that workers could have been seriously injured. (Express Photo by Dhananjay Khedkar)

Forest Minister Ganesh Naik visits injured residents

Forest Minister Ganesh Naik visited the residents attacked by the leopard and told the media that they were all out of danger.

“I hope such attacks don’t happen in future. Hence, our efforts are focused on keeping leopards confined to forests. But if a leopard wanders into the city and such an unfortunate event happens, the forest department will do its job to alert the residents. We have made such arrangements. The entire state of Maharashtra is affected by leopard attacks. We are thinking along these lines and working to curb the attacks,” he said.

Forest Minister Ganesh Naik visited the residents attacked by the leopard and told the media that they were all out of danger. (Express Photo by Dhananjay Khedkar)

“Permission has been granted to sterilise leopards, but only in a limited number and for a very short period. Within six months, we will know whether it is successful or not. After that, we will seek permission from the Central Government’s forest ministry to carry it out on a large scale, and I am confident that it will succeed,” Naik added.

A day earlier, Naik announced a plan to curb increasing leopard attacks. During the legislature’s winter session in Nagpur, he said that goats would be released in forest areas to prevent leopards from straying into human settlements in search of prey.