Forest officials catch man-eater leopard

A leopard, suspected to have killed people in Shirur, Khed and Ambegaon tehsils, has been captured on Tuesday morning after a trap was laid by the Maharashtra Forest Department, officials said.

- Varad Bhatkhande

The animal, alleged to be involved in more than three fatal incidents over the past 20 days, had created fear across the northeastern part of the district and prompted angry protests and a rasta roko on the Pune-Nashik Highway near Manchar on Monday. Forest Department officials said more than 10 cages were set and traps were laid across areas where the leopard had been sighted in the previous week. A leopard was caught on Monday morning in Pimparkhed village of Shirur taluka; authorities described the animal as aggressive. It is yet to be confirmed whether the caught leopard is the same one implicated in the recent fatal attacks.

Villagers staged sustained demonstrations across the three tehsils for about 16 hours on Monday, at times becoming confrontational before district administration and forest officials brought the situation under control.

Villagers’ demands