Pune: A series of recent leopard attacks in Pune, Nashik and Ahilyanagar have prompted the Maharashtra Forest Department to hold urgent meetings and take several steps besides allowing sharpshooters to kill two big cats and giving orders to shoot at sight the third.
The Center also reacted faster than expected and on Monday gave approval for sterilization of 115 leopards, starting with a pilot to give birth control to five animals in Junnar division. While the state had approached the central government with the request in January 2024, permission was granted only when the pressure on man-animal conflict was at its peak ahead of the local body elections.
Elections to municipal councils, district councils and municipal corporations, called mini assembly elections, will be held in December and January.
With less than a fortnight left for the first round of voting, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, at a special meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday, directed that a proposal to declare leopard attacks on humans as a “state disaster” be placed before the next cabinet meeting. He directed officials to submit a proposal to remove leopards from Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act and include them under Schedule II, which attracts a lower level of protection with fewer legal consequences.
Shirur MP Amol Kolhe, who was not invited for Tuesday’s meeting, later posted on Twitter, “Since I have not been invited for this important meeting, I am placing my demands here to resolve the problem.”
political pressure
The speed of these decisions, many of which typically take months, reflects the growing demands of elected representatives that are causing growing public anger. MLAs, ministers and local political leaders are pushing for quick, clear action and the Department is moving accordingly.
Forest Minister Ganesh Naik acknowledged the pressure in a recent public address, saying leaders are demanding “strong and immediate action” after each attack. He instructed officials to kill leopards showing “aggressive behavior”, a significant change in the tone of official instructions. Conservationists and many former forest officials said the pressure is changing the response of frontline workers in conflict situations and that political urgency is overriding the slow, science-based decision-making process.
This change is rooted in the political results of recent elections. During the April 2024 Lok Sabha and November Assembly elections, the ruling coalition faced a serious backlash in Shirur Lok Sabha seat and Junnar Assembly constituency over the increase in leopard attacks. NCP’s Shivajirao Adhalrao lost to NCP’s Amol Kolhe in the Lok Sabha elections where leopard attacks were a major campaign issue.
“When such conflict situations arise, forest officials have to face political pressure and have to handle the situation with utmost care,” said a senior forest department official, requesting anonymity.
Aditya Paranjpe, Honorary Wildlife Warden, Pune Forest Department, said, “The Honorary Wildlife Warden plays a vital role in managing wildlife conflict situations. As per protocol, the warden must be informed before taking any action on the ground. While I contacted the Chief Conservator of Forests and offered any necessary assistance, I was neither included in the communication loop nor included in the actual operation.”
Junnar and surrounding tehsils are among the state’s most vulnerable areas to conflict and officials estimate the leopard population at around 1,300. Over the past five years, leopards have killed 21 people and injured 52 in the region, and villagers have reported the loss of about 18,000 livestock. More than 236 villages have been classified as leopard hotspots.
The figures have created a big political challenge. Fear is growing in rural communities, farmers are demanding quick relief, and local leaders want immediate measures before civic elections.
green cover
The ecological factors behind the increase in conflict are long-standing. Maharashtra covers approximately 308,000 square kilometers and supports rich biodiversity, including about 85 mammal species and 460 bird species. According to the Indian State of Forest Report (ISFR), forest cover has increased over the years, from 16.5% in 2019 to 20.1% in 2023. But most of the forests are scattered in patches surrounded by agriculture, highways, industrial areas and rapidly growing cities. These fragmented landscapes often push leopards, elephants, wild boars and other species into human settlements.
For farmers, the economic hit is severe. A study by the Center for Sustainable Development of the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE) has estimated the annual losses from wildlife conflict in the state. 10,000 crores 40,000 crores. Wild boars cause the most crop loss, affecting more than 80% of affected farmers. In the Konkan region, macaques and langurs dominate the grouse. Nilgai and Sambar cause major damage in Marathwada and Vidarbha. Leopards, gaur and smaller species cause acute, localized damage that further exacerbates an already stressful situation.
As the conflict intensifies, political leaders from all parties have occupied public positions. During a public address in Shirur on 12 November, Minister Naik said that the number of leopards had increased rapidly in Junnar and Shirur tehsils and warned that, if the trend continued, leopards could be seen “roaming the streets like stray dogs”. He said complaints have come from senior leaders, including Ahilyanagar guardian minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, whose grandson recently survived a leopard attack. Naik said the matter was discussed in the state cabinet, where Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar urged him to intervene directly.
The growing political interest has encouraged more leaders to raise their demands publicly. Shirur MP Amol Kolhe has been one of the strongest voices on this issue. He had joined villagers in a protest earlier this month demanding immediate conflict mitigation and long-term solutions. Since he was not invited to the high-level meeting organized by Fadnavis to review the status of the leopard, Kolhe issued a detailed statement arguing that the safety concerns of local residents cannot be ignored. He urged for permission to tranquilize leopards, strengthen rescue equipment and increase manpower near settlements based on study of leopard population and habitat.
The conflict is also affecting prominent individuals outside rural areas. On November 9, CCTV footage showed a leopard entering the Junnar house of NCP (SP) leader Satyasheel Shirsat, while a 9,000-watt electric fence was erected around the property. Sugar mills in the area have also reported an increase in the number of leopard sightings around their premises. In Nashik, Guardian Minister Girish Mahajan had a narrow escape on November 14 when a leopard attacked a forest guard standing close to him during a rescue operation in Van Vihar Colony. Such incidents have increased the pressure on the administration for a strong and quick response.
The pattern of decisions taken by the Forest Department in the last two weeks shows how this pressure is working. It issued three orders to eradicate leopards in 15 days – something that senior conservationists say is extremely rare. Sindhudurg authorities submitted a proposal for translocation of wild elephants, while Pune authorities have revived an old plan to translocate around 50 leopards from Junnar. Officials say these steps are necessary to ensure public safety. Critics argue that these steps appear hasty, driven by political urgency and may only shift the conflict to other areas.
take divided
However, experts are divided. Some say a firmer approach is needed in areas where the animals are frequently entering settlements and where attacks have created fear. Others believe the current situation reflects years of gaps in preparedness, including staff shortages, delays in compensation, limited rescue equipment, and weak coordination across departments. Former patrons say that these weaknesses maintained tensions until the issue reached its current point.
Veteran ecologist Madhav Gadgil said, “In Scandinavia, wildlife is considered a renewable commodity and they have implemented a wildlife management plan that also includes the option of killing. A similar approach should be implemented in India.”
Anuj Khare, member of the state wildlife board, said, “Several measures should have been taken much earlier to prevent the situation from escalating to this level. The department should adopt a scientific approach to ensure sustainable management.”
Public anger is visible across the state, protests are taking place in many districts. Farmers and villagers are demanding prompt compensation, safe livestock enclosures and reliable rescue assistance. These demands have become central during the pre-poll campaign in districts where leopards and tigers cause frequent deaths. As civic elections approach, wildlife conflict – once considered a minor issue – has become a major part of the political conversation, with leaders under pressure to show immediate results.
The coming weeks will show how the state balances public demand for security with long-term conservation needs. The forest department itself is now taking decisions that should address immediate risks while also preventing conflict or escalating. The steps taken following the recent sanction, transfer and abolition orders will determine how Maharashtra manages the issue in the elections and beyond.
