6 months ago
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A time aft enraged locals acceptable ablaze a wood section conveyance pursuing the decease of a 13-year-old lad successful a leopard onslaught successful Pune district, the authorities connected Monday (November 3, 2025) ordered the seizure and "elimination" of the animal.
A squad of 5 sharpshooters has been deployed successful the country for the purpose, wood officials said.
People from leopard attack-prone regions similar Junnar, Ambegaon, Shirur successful the territory organised a "rasta roko" (road blockade) adjacent Avsari connected the Pune-Nashik Highway connected Monday to protestation against the predominant attacks by large cats.
In the past 1 month, 3 persons died successful leopard attacks successful the Shirur region, sparking choler among the locals, who person been demanding preventive steps to curb the human-animal conflict.
"Today, we are conducting a camera trap exercise. Swabs volition beryllium collected from leopards caught during the tranquilising process to place those progressive successful the caller fatal attacks. The samples volition beryllium sent to the labs for DNA matching with swabs taken from the victims and if a lucifer is found, the peculiar leopard volition beryllium eliminated," said Smita Rajhans, adjunct conservator of forests, Junnar wood division.
She said that the main conservator of forests has issued the "shooting orders".
"Today, a squad of sharpshooters equipped with tranquilising guns and mean guns volition beryllium laying the traps and they volition drawback the leopards. Those leopards volition beryllium kept astatine a rehabilitation centre to transportation retired the swab postulation process," she added.
On Sunday, a leopard killed Rohan Bombe (13) successful Pimparkhed colony erstwhile helium was playing adjacent the farms.
After the incident, aggravated locals acceptable a patrolling van of the wood section connected occurrence and demonstrated extracurricular its basal campy against the recurring incidents of leopard-human conflicts successful the area, officials said.
According to the Wildlife Institute of India, the Junnar wood part successful Pune has six to 7 leopards for each 100 sq km.
The abundant h2o supply, increasing quality colonisation engaged successful agriculture, and the rising fig of home animals created a conducive situation for leopards to inhabit these farmlands.
