PUNE: Faced with a logistical challenge in housing leopards captured during a massive human-leopard conflict mitigation drive, the forest department was recently forced to keep as many as 23 captured leopards in cages placed at various forest nurseries across Ahilyanagar. To address the lack of infrastructure, the department has now proposed setting up a dedicated facility capable of housing up to 200 leopards in captivity, if required. According to officials, the proposed facility will provide a structured and humane system for temporarily housing rescued or captured leopards and will significantly strengthen the department’s ability to respond to conflict situations.
During recent human-leopard conflict mitigation drives, not only Ahilyanagar but parts of Pune district too have witnessed a surge in leopard capture operations. So much so that the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre has almost always proved inadequate to accommodate all the captured/rescued leopards. With no alternative infrastructure available locally, the forest department has had to temporarily house the animals in cages placed at different forest nurseries across the district. This is at best an emergency measure but not a sustainable solution in the long run.
A senior forest official said, “In such situations, it becomes extremely difficult to manage the animals properly without a dedicated facility. If similar conflict situations arise in the future, we must have the infrastructure ready to handle them.”
To address this gap, the Ahilyanagar forest division has submitted a proposal about three months ago seeking approval to establish a new leopard rescue and holding facility at Bargaon–Naduri in the district. The proposed centre will have the capacity to house up to 200 leopards, and will function as a regional rescue and management facility.
According to officials, the proposal has been forwarded to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) which regulates and approves the establishment of rescue centres for wild animals in India. After several rounds of follow-up, the department has now received ‘in-principle approval’ from the authority.
Dharmveer Salvitthal, deputy conservator of forests (DCF), Ahilyanagar forest division, said, “The proposal is currently in consideration with the CZA for final approval. After constant follow-ups, we have received in-principle approval from the CZA. In the upcoming meeting expected to be held on March 10, we are hopeful of receiving the final approval.”
Once operational, this separate facility is expected to play a crucial role in managing conflict leopards, treating injured animals, and temporarily housing captured leopards before they are either released back into the wild or shifted to other suitable habitats. Officials also believe that the new facility will significantly reduce the district’s dependence on the Manikdoh facility and will improve response time during conflict situations.
Meanwhile, forest officials have also clarified rumours circulating on social media regarding the death of a leopard in captivity at Ahilyanagar. Refuting the claims, Salvitthal said that no leopard had died while in the department’s custody. “There have been no deaths of leopards in captivity in Ahilyanagar. Out of the captured animals, eight leopards have already been shifted to the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre; several have been released back into the wild; and currently only four to five leopards remain in captivity. They too will soon be shifted to an appropriate facility,” Salvitthal said.