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Ahead of Kumbh, minister orders intensifying human-leopard conflict mitigation in Nashik, Ahilyanagar
Ahead of the Kumbh festival which is expected to bring lakhs of devotees to Nashik, the state government has moved to ramp up efforts to check human-leopard conflict in the region
PUNE: Ahead of the Kumbh festival which is expected to bring lakhs of devotees to Nashik, the state government has moved to ramp up efforts to check human-leopard conflict in the region. Maharashtra forests minister Ganesh Naik on Sunday directed officials in Nashik and Ahilyanagar to immediately scale-up mitigation efforts on the lines of measures recently introduced in Pune district.
Naik on Monday told reporters that the growing frequency of leopard sightings and attacks has created an alarming situation across the three districts. He said that the influx of visitors during the Kumbh only heightens the risk, particularly in areas where leopards are increasingly entering residential pockets.
He said that Nashik and Ahilyanagar have seen a sharp escalation in human-leopard encounters, with panic growing among residents. Ahilyanagar has reported two deaths in the last fortnight, while leopards have been repeatedly spotted inside housing areas in Nashik. Naik said that protests by villagers demanding long-term conflict-mitigation measures have become more frequent, prompting the state to extend Pune’s ‘intensive mitigation model’ to the other two districts.
Earlier during a meeting in Mumbai on November 4, Naik had announced an emergency intervention plan for Pune after a surge in leopard sightings and attacks. The state had approved ₹11.25 crore for immediate and comprehensive action, including deploying 20 specialised rescue teams equipped with trained marksmen, trackers, tranquilising guns, rescue vehicles, advanced cameras, cages and essential medical kits. The procurement plan involved 1,000 cages; 20 tranquilising guns; 500 trap cameras; 250 live cameras; 500 high-power torches; and 500 smart sticks, with each team made up of five to six trained personnel.
Naik said the same scale of intervention will now be replicated in Nashik and Ahilyanagar, and that additional funds will be sanctioned to support the expansion.
Meanwhile in Pune, the forest department has undertaken continuous patrolling, rapid-response tracking and intensified monitoring in villages reporting repeated leopard movement. Naik said that such measures must now be uniformly adopted in the other two districts because “the conflict pattern is no longer isolated, and people’s safety cannot be compromised during a massive event like the Kumbh”.
Goats to be used as bait in Junnar, Shirur
Naik also said that the forests department is grappling with a fresh challenge over the use of bait during leopard-capture operations. Domestic animals such as dogs, goats and roosters have traditionally been used to lure leopards, but animal-welfare groups have objected strongly, citing cruelty concerns.
The minister said that forest teams are now trying to adapt the strategy by placing a few goats inside forest patches to prevent leopards from straying into human settlements. He said that officials are working to ensure the safety of the animals being used as bait. Urging citizens not to harm or consume these goats if they come across them, Naik said that this approach is being considered only because the conflict has escalated to a point where new methods must be tested.
