A suspected man-eating leopard was shot dead late Tuesday night by the Forest Department and a rescue team in Pune’s Shirur taluka, following public outcry over the deaths of three individuals, including two children, in the area. The male leopard, estimated to be over five years old, was killed after attempts to tranquillize it with a dart failed, leading to the animal becoming aggressive and charging the team.
According to a Forest Department official, the leopard attacks in the Pimparkhed village and Jambut regions resulted in three fatalities within the last 20 days. The victims included five-year-old Shivanya Shailesh Bombe, who was killed on October 12, 70-year-old Bhagubai Ranganath Jadhav on October 22, and 13-year-old Rohan Vilas Bombe on November 2.
In response to the rising leopard threats, villagers from Junnar, Shirur, Ambegaon, and Khed talukas organized protests, blocking roads including the Belhe–Jejuri Road on October 12 and 22, and the Pune Nashik Highway at Manchar on November 3. These demonstrations lasted nearly 18 hours, and an agitated crowd set fire to a Forest Department patrol vehicle and damaged the local base camp.
To address the growing danger from the leopard, Pune Forest Conservator Ashish Thakre quickly sought permission from the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests to eliminate the threat. Special teams from the Forest Department, including members from the ResQ Charitable Trust Pune, were deployed to capture the animal. These teams set up camera traps to monitor the leopard’s movements and tracked its footprints.
On Tuesday night, using three thermal drones, the team located the suspected man-eater about 500 meters from the location of the latest attack. An attempt to tranquillize the leopard was unsuccessful, and it charged at the team. At approximately 10:30 PM, a sharpshooter fatally shot the male leopard. Following the operation, the carcass was displayed to local residents before being transported to the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre for a postmortem examination.
The Forest Department reported that the operation was executed successfully under Ashish Thakre’s guidance, with assistance from Prashant Khade, Deputy Conservator of Forests in Junnar, and various other officials, along with support from local villagers.
Original Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/man-eating-leopard-dead-3-deaths-human-animal-conflict-10346773/
Category: Cities,Pune
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Publish Date: 2025-11-05 09:22:00
