After fatal attack on 8-yr-old in Junnar, leopard captured at same location

“Multiple teams from the Forest Department were deployed at the location and in the surrounding areas for heightening patrolling. 15 trap cages and 10 trap cameras were installed in the area. One of the traps was at the exact location in Mangrul Pargaon village where the Monday morning attack had taken place. Around 7.30 pm on Tuesday, a leopard was captured in that cage. The leopard is a male aged between five to six years. It is highly likely that it is the same leopard, as this animal tends to return to the same location. The samples of the leopard have been taken. Samples collected from the boy’s wounds and from the captured leopard have been sent for DNA analysis to confirm whether it was responsible for the attack. Meanwhile the leopard has been sent to the Manikdoh Leopard rehabilitation centre,” said an officer from the Junnar Forest Department. In the aftermath of the incident on Monday, the Forest Department had sought permission to eliminate the leopard involved in the attack.

In the two villages Pimparkhed and Jambut of Shirur taluka three tragic deaths occurred due to leopard attacks between October 12 and November 1. Shivanya Bombe (5) on October 12, Bhagubai Jadhav (70) on October 22 and Rohan Bombe (13) on November 1 lost their lives. These incidents triggered massive public outrage. The Mangrul Pargaon village in Junnar where the Monday morning attack took place is just six kilometers away from Pimparkhed village in Shirur which witnessed deaths of two children in October-November.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, after reviewing the state’s escalating human–leopard conflict in a meeting with top officials on November 18 directed that a proposal to declare the crisis a state disaster be placed before the Cabinet. He has also sought a proposal to shift the leopard from Schedule I to Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act. The CM has also directed setting up two more rescue centres for leopards in Pune district.