Leopard captured in Shirur after three deaths; protesters say “human lives matter too”

Shirur, 4th November 2025: After nearly three weeks of panic and tension in the northeastern parts of Pune district, officials from the Maharashtra Forest Department successfully trapped a leopard that had allegedly claimed three lives and injured several others in Shirur, Khed, and Ambegaon tehsils.

The leopard was captured early Tuesday morning in Pimparkhed village of Shirur taluka, following an extensive operation that involved setting up more than 10 cages in areas where sightings were reported over the past week. Forest officials described the captured leopard as aggressive, though they said confirmation is still pending on whether it is the same animal responsible for the three recent fatalities.

The capture comes a day after massive protests erupted across the district. On Monday, angry villagers blocked the Pune–Nashik Highway near Manchar in a rasta roko demonstration, demanding immediate action from the authorities. The protest continued for over 16 hours, with residents expressing outrage over what they called the administration’s failure to protect human lives. Protesters were heard shouting slogans such as “Decide whether you want to protect leopards or humans.” The situation was later brought under control after intervention by senior forest and district officials.

In response to growing public anger, Maharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik has announced that a high-level meeting will soon be held to address the escalating human–wildlife conflict in the region.

However, local residents have warned they will boycott the meeting unless both Naik and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, the district’s Guardian Minister, visit the affected areas in person.

The villagers have submitted a set of key demands to the state government, calling for decisive measures to address the rising human–wildlife conflict in the region. They have urged authorities to immediately shoot any leopard confirmed to have attacked or killed humans, conduct urgent sterilisation drives to control the growing leopard population, and implement a comprehensive preventive action plan to ensure long-term safety and coexistence between humans and wildlife.

The capture of the leopard has brought temporary relief to the panic-stricken villages, but questions remain about long-term measures needed to prevent further tragedies.