junnar division

Maharashtra's forest department has initiated a groundbreaking pilot project using immuno-contraception to manage leopard populations in Junnar, a region grappling with human-animal conflict. This scientific approach, approved by national authorities and involving ICMR, aims to regulate breeding by preventing ovulation in female leopards, prioritizing animal safety and offering a humane alternative for wildlife management.

An analysis of leopards captured and released into the wild in the Junnar forest division has revealed that the animals tend to return to sugar cane fields close to human habitations.

The increasing population of leopards has unsettled the wildlife balance in the Junnar forest division, as the area did not report sighting of a single Indian wolf in the past three years, Wildlife Institute of India (WII) experts said.

The high number of accidental deaths of leopards in Junnar over the last four years has become a major worry for the state forest department.

A team of experts from the Wildlife Institute of India has found that the leopards in the Junnar forest division are operating in smaller territories compared to the average area of the animal in the wild.

The junnar division of the state forest department said on Tuesday that the central government order declaring Bhimashankar wildlife sanctuary and surrounding areas as eco-sensitive zone will not affect the livelihood of tribal communities in the area.

A leopard was injured after being hit by a yet-to-be identified vehicle near Chitegaon Phata on the Nashik-Aurangabad state highway on Thursday night.The leopard was unable to walk due to injuries, but it crossed the road and reached the nearby farm on the state highway.

The Junnar forest division and Wildlife SOS, a non-governmental organization (NGO), have started to cover open wells in the region for the safety of wild animals.Under the project, which started a few weeks ago, four wells have already been covered in Junnar tehsil.