Man-eater leopard should be shot at sight, says Maharashtra Forest Minister

Following the increase in leopard attacks in Pune and Ahilyanagar districts, Maharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik said on Wednesday, November 12, 2025 that “a man-eating leopard should be shot wherever it is seen”.

Since the three deaths in October, the Maharashtra government has implemented a series of measures to contain the situation at the state level and has also sent a proposal for a sterilization campaign to the Center to address the issue.

Stating that the government is careful about this situation, Naik said, “If the leopard has turned into a man-eater, shoot it immediately. We cannot remain silent spectators to the hostile environment created by increasing leopard attacks.”

Mr. Naik also argued that if leopards are not sterilized, these animals will roam like dogs in the residential area. According to government data, there are 1,300-1,500 leopards in Pune district.

“We will immediately set up 200 cages and purchase 1,000 additional cages to trap leopards and transport them to deep forests. We are also in touch with Vantara officials and Forest department representatives of other states to discuss the possibility of transporting leopards,” said Naik, adding that we are also working on introducing artificial intelligence and satellite imagery to issue alerts to inform people about leopard movements.

On November 2, after a leopard killed a 13-year-old boy in Pune’s Shirur taluka, villagers angrily set fire to the forest department patrol vehicle and the base camp building. This was the third death in such a case.

The fact that those who died in the first two incidents, a five-year-old child and a 70-year-old man, sparked outrage in the state. A meeting has since been held in the forest department to discuss the issue. The issue was also brought up at the cabinet meeting.

Earlier, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis highlighted that a proposal had been sent to the Center seeking permission to kill the man-eating leopard under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Killing of wild animals is prohibited, implement a sterilization program and capture and relocate leopards.