Amid leopard attack incidents in Junnar tehsil, the forest department has captured four leopards in a week. Two were captured from the Pimpari Pendhar village and one each from Rajuri and Otur. Officials said these big cats are sent to Manikdoh Rescue Centre.
Sujata Dhere, a 40-year-old woman, died in a leopard attack at around 6 am on October 9 prompting the forest department to install 30 cages and 15 trap cameras to monitor the animal’s activity. The leopard involved in this incident was captured within 48 hours.
Pradip Chavan, range forest officer for Pimpri Pendhar, said, “Two leopards have been captured from Pimpari Pendhar area and both are adult male leopards, and they have been sent to the rescue facility in Manikdoh.”
Officials said efforts are ongoing to capture more leopards, especially in areas categorised as hotspots for human-leopard conflict.
Till October 23, 2024, seven deaths have been reported in Junnar tehsil in big cat attack incidents.