Pune: 20 Leopards Relocated from Junnar to Gujarat’s Vantara Center to Mitigate Overcrowding and Conflict
Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Junnar, 7th March 2026: In a significant move to manage the rising human-leopard conflict and overcrowding at local facilities, the Junnar Forest Department today initiated the relocation of leopards to Gujarat. A first batch of 20 leopards was successfully dispatched to the Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Center (Vantara) in Jamnagar.
Over the last decade, the Junnar Forest Division has witnessed a sharp increase in leopard attacks on humans and livestock. To ensure public safety, several leopards were captured from the highly sensitive zones of Junnar and Shirur. These leopards were initially housed at the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Center; however, with the facility reaching its maximum capacity of 50 animals, the department sought to transfer the leopards to other protected locations across India.
Following a proposal approved by the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), New Delhi, on December 20, 2025, the relocation process commenced this week. A 25-member expert team from Jamnagar, led by Veterinary Officer Dr. Gaurav Shrivastava, arrived in Junnar on March 6 to oversee the logistics.
Today, March 7, under the supervision of Dr. Jitendra Ramgaonkar (Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Wildlife) and Ashish Thakare (Conservator of Forests, Pune), 20 leopards—comprising 10 males and 10 females—were loaded into specialized air-conditioned rescue vans for the journey to Vantara.
Prashant Khade, Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF), Junnar, confirmed that all necessary veterinary and technical precautions were strictly followed to ensure the safety of the animals during transit.
The senior leadership overseeing the leopard relocation operation included Dr. Jitendra Ramgaonkar, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) for the Western Region, and Ashish Thakare, Conservator of Forests, Pune. They provided the strategic guidance for the project, supported by Prashant Khade (IFS), the Deputy Conservator of Forests for the Junnar Forest Division, who managed the local execution. Additionally, the 25-member expert team from the Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Center (Vantara) in Jamnagar was led by Veterinary Officer Gaurav Shrivastava, who arrived on-site to coordinate the technical logistics for the animals’ transfer.
The ground-level operation was carried out by a dedicated team of field officers including Lokesh Patil, Probationary Deputy Conservator of Forests, and Assistant Conservators of Forests Smita Rajhans and Amrut Shinde. Key field management and technical oversight were provided by Range Forest Officers Pradeep Chavan of Junnar and Chaitanya Kamble of Otur.
