Overview
- State forest minister Ganesh Naik directed officials to eliminate leopards identified as man-eaters and announced immediate installation of 200 cages with plans to procure 1,000 more, alongside AI and satellite-based alert systems.
- Naik said the government has sought central approval for sterilisation, relocation and, in extreme cases, killing of confirmed man-eaters, and he cited ongoing talks over shifting some leopards to facilities such as Vantara and possibly other states.
- Pune district collector Jitendra Dudi ordered up to 700 additional cages, a 24x7 control room (toll-free 1800 3033), AI-based monitoring, drones, camera traps and sound alerts, and asked for new rescue centres proposed at 1,000 and 500-leopard capacity.
- Forest departments confirmed a viral ‘tiger’ image from Mangrul in Junnar was AI-generated and issued legal warnings under criminal and IT provisions, while teams in Bandipur and Telangana flagged similar fake posts and launched awareness drives.
- Real incidents continue to mount, including fatal attacks in Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit and Bahraich, a leopard pouncing on a motorbike rider in Junnar, a separate highway collision involving a leopard near Kamargaon, and a verified sighting near Hinjewadi where officials focused on public guidance.