7 months ago
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Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar connected Saturday (December 13, 2025) made airy of the State Forest Minister's proposition to merchandise goats into the wood to support leopards distant from quality settlements, saying that isolated from large cats, villagers volition besides feast connected this prey base.
During an informal enactment with reporters here, Mr. Pawar said the thought appeared to person originated from the Forest Department.
Maharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik has suggested that wood officials merchandise goats successful ample numbers successful forests to halt leopards from entering quality settlements successful hunt of prey.
"If 4 radical are killed successful leopard attacks, the authorities indispensable wage ₹1 crore (as compensation). So I told officials, alternatively of paying compensation aft deaths, merchandise goats worthy ₹1 crore into the wood truthful leopards bash not task into quality habitats," the Forest Minister had said.
When asked astir the government's plans to tackle the rising incidents involving leopards, Mr. Pawar said leopards were breeding and surviving successful definite pockets of Maharashtra, particularly successful sugarcane-growing regions.
He said the authorities had besides made enquiries with Vantara zoo, which had conveyed that it could instrumentality lone up to 50 leopards.
"I person heard determination are astir 2,000 leopards successful Maharashtra. In specified a situation, we request to deliberation of different measures," Mr. Pawar added.
He said sterilisation could beryllium an effectual option, but its interaction would beryllium seen lone implicit a agelong period, arsenic adjacent aft sterilisation, leopards would proceed to hunt for food.
Mr. Pawar said the authorities was moving to heighten the capableness of existing rescue centres and acceptable up caller facilities to code the issue.
Ahilyanagar, Pune, and Nashik districts were reporting the highest fig of leopard-related incidents, according to the State Forest Department.
