Leopard Crisis: A Call for Action

Junnar MLA Sharad Sonawane highlighted the leopard menace in Maharashtra by wearing a leopard costume. Seven people recently suffered injuries in a leopard attack. Sonawane urged for 2,000-leopard capacity rescue centers instead of releasing goats for prey, as leopards prefer sugarcane fields and human proximities.

Junnar MLA Sharad Sonawane drew attention to the persistent leopard threat in Maharashtra by arriving at the legislature wearing a leopard costume. This symbolic gesture coincided with a recent leopard attack in Nagpur's Pardi area that left seven injured. The forest department captured the animal responsible.

Addressing the media at Vidhan Bhavan, Sonawane stressed that 55 individuals have lost their lives to leopard attacks in Junnar, Pune, over the past quarter. The fear-stricken locals demand the government create rescue centers capable of housing 2,000 leopards in Junnar taluka and Ahilyanagar district.

Sonawane criticized the government's idea to release goats in forests as a prey source, citing Forest Minister Ganesh Naik's comments. He argued that such a measure might prove futile, given leopards' proclivity for inhabiting sugarcane fields and areas close to human dwellings. He called for a 'state emergency' declaration to facilitate capturing and accommodating 2,000 leopards in rescue centers.

(With inputs from agencies.)