Forest department to form committee to decide on fate of captured leopard

The forest department this week captured a female leopard in Goregaon’s Aarey Colony that was behind a recent spate of attacks on humans. In the last two months alone, nine people including a 68-year-old woman and a four-year-old child have sustained injuries after the leopard charged at them

The forest department this week captured a female leopard in Goregaon’s Aarey Colony that was behind a recent spate of attacks on humans. In the last two months alone, nine people including a 68-year-old woman and a four-year-old child have sustained injuries after the leopard charged at them. These were the first instances of human-leopard conflict in the region since 2017.

As per human-leopard conflict management guidelines given by the Union environment ministry, the additional principal chief conservator of forests (APCCF) Maharashtra, will head a committee of experts, veterinarians and forest department officials to decide the fate of the animal.

As per human-leopard conflict management guidelines given by the Union environment ministry, the additional principal chief conservator of forests (APCCF) Maharashtra, will head a committee of experts, veterinarians and forest department officials to decide the fate of the animal after an examination of the animal, and assessing the risks associated with reintroducing it into the Aarey forest.

Despite installing multiple camera traps and creating emergency response teams the leopard (officially known as C32) had eluded officials. A sub-adult female leopard aged between one-and-a-half and two years was previously captured in the early hours of October 1, but was identified to be a different animal than the female behind the recent attacks. The forest department trapped another sub-adult female leopard in a cage near Mumbai’s Aarey Colony’s dairy unit number 13 on October 15, but once again it turned out to be a different leopard.

Gajendra Hire, deputy conservator of forests (Thane), who coordinated the response between experts, the forest department, citizens and volunteer organisations said, “Translocation and keeping the animal in captivity are both possible options. The animal is currently being held at Sanjay Gandhi National Park. At present it won’t be possible to comment on further course of action until a committee is formed to deliberate on the matter. “