CM Fadnavis Proposes ‘State Disaster’ Tag for Leopard Attacks; Two Rescue Centres Planned in Pune
Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Mumbai/Pune, 18th November 2025: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday directed officials to place a proposal before the next cabinet meeting seeking to classify the rising incidents of leopard attacks on humans in Maharashtra as a ‘state disaster’. He also instructed the Forest Department to prepare a proposal to shift leopards from Schedule I to Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act, which would allow broader intervention in conflict zones.
Fadnavis said immediate and long-term measures must be undertaken to control attacks, including installing cages at vulnerable locations, increasing surveillance, and launching targeted capture operations. He also ordered that two rescue centres for leopards be set up in Pune district within the next two to three months to handle treatment and rehabilitation of captured animals.
The directions were issued during a high-level meeting held at Mantralaya to review the growing human–leopard conflict across the state. Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, Forest Minister Ganesh Naik, Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan, MLA Sharad Sonawane, former minister Dilip Walse Patil, Chief Secretary Rajesh Kumar and senior officials from the Forest Department, Revenue Department and Pune district administration were present.
Capture Drives, Drone Surveillance, Sterilisation Among Measures
The Chief Minister said leopard sightings and attacks have increased significantly and require urgent action. Villages and urban fringes reporting leopard movement must be prioritised for capture operations, with drones deployed to locate animals straying near human habitats. He directed district planning committees to allocate funds for cages, rescue vehicles, equipment and manpower.
For long-term management, Fadnavis said sterilisation of captured problem leopards should be undertaken as permitted by the Centre. He emphasised the need to identify space and prepare plans for two new rescue centres in Pune district while also enhancing the capacity of existing facilities such as the Gorewada Rescue Centre in Nagpur.
Proposal to Remove Leopards From Schedule I
Officials said leopards are currently protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, making removal, capture or euthanasia strictly restricted even in extreme conflict cases. Fadnavis instructed that a proposal be sent to the Union government to reclassify leopards under Schedule II, which would ease operational limitations on managing man-eating or aggressive leopards.
He also reiterated that captured man-eating leopards must be sterilised and housed in designated rescue centres to prevent further conflict.
