3 injured in separate leopard attacks in Pune district, woman critical

Deputy Conservator of Forest (DCF) for Junnar Division, Amol Satpute, said the three were injured in separate attacks by leopards. “Once the incidents were reported to us, officials from respective forest ranges responded to the situation immediately. The teams have assessed the situation. We have stepped up vigil in these areas and have advised caution to people in surrounding areas. We will continue to conduct intensive patrolling of the region,” said Satpute.

According to Forest Department officials, the two women were attacked in Retwadi village of Khed taluka. The two attack sites are located nearly one-and-a-half km away from each other. In the first incident that took place around 6.15 pm on Tuesday, Rizwana Pathan (35) was attacked by a leopard not far from her home. In the second incident, Aruna Bhalekar (50), was grievously injured in an attack by a leopard at around 8.30 pm.

Range Forest Officer Pradeep Raundhal said Bhalekar has sustained severe injuries. “Her condition is critical and she is being treated at the Sassoon General Hospital in Pune. She has suffered a serious head injury. We are in contact with her family members and have also extended all possible assistance at the hospital,” he said.

Officials said they were not sure if the same leopard had attacked both women, considering the high population of leopards in the area.

In the third incident at Thorandale village in Ambegaon Taluka in the early hours of Wednesday, 17-year-old Onkar Temgire, who had gone to his family farm to release water for crops around 5.30 am, was attacked by a leopard. Temgire sustained an injury on his face and is receiving treatment at a local hospital.

Forest officials said possibilities of encounters with leopards increase during the summer months because of various factors.

What leads to rise in human-leopard conflicts in summers?

Among the key drivers of human-wildlife encounters, especially those involving leopards, are the changes that forest areas go through during summer months as well as the cutting of sugarcane that happens during this period, according to forest officials and experts.

Speaking about these factors, DCF for Junnar Division, Amol Satpute, said, “One of the phenomenons observed over the last several years is an increase in the area under sugarcane cultivation in the region. It has been observed that leopards, which are a very adaptive species, have started using these fields that have thick sugarcane cover as a habitat. This provides a safe place for breeding too. Sugarcane cutting takes place during summer months. With their hiding place gone, leopards move to other areas or try to move back to the forest. It is during this transit that the possibility of encounters increases.”

“The Forest Department has taken concerted efforts towards creating awareness and sensitising villagers with the help of NGOs. Residents of villages in Junnar taluka have now adapted to the presence of leopards, in a transition from conflict to cohabitation in the same space. We are taking similar sensitisation efforts in Khed and Ambegaon talukas too, which are witnessing instances of leopard encounters,” added Satupte.

Veterinarian Dr Nikhil Bangar from the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre said, “The summer months see overall decrease in the foliage, which means depleting hiding places. This period also sees scarcity of water and shrinking prey base in the forest. This means leopards have to travel more to sustain themselves, leading to increased encounters with humans. Sugarcane cutting adds to this phenomenon.”

Earlier this year, in the third week of March, a leopard had ventured into the campus of Mercedes-Benz India in Pune district’s Chakan. The animal was rescued before noon by Forest Department personnel and wildlife rescue experts with the help of local police.