"All are out of danger...": Maharashtra Forest Minister assures victims safe after Leopard attack

Nagpur (Maharashtra) [India], December 10 : After the Forest Department Rescue team successfully rescued a leopard that had entered the residential area of Pardi locality in Nagpur, injuring seven people, Maharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik assured that all of the victims are now out of danger.
He emphasised that the Forest Department will alert residents if any leopard enters the residential area.
"I met 7 patients, and all are out of danger, and I hope such incidents will not happen again in the future. That's why we will try to limit leopards within the jungle area. If any leopard accidentally enters residential areas, our forest department will alert residents. We have made arrangements for this," he said.
Speaking on obtaining permission for sterilisation amid the increasing population of leopards in Maharashtra, Naik said that the permission has been granted on a small scale. The first six months will observe its success, then the Forest Department will seek approval from the centre to expand the programme.
The Forest Department has also deployed AI-driven sirens to alert citizens whenever a leopard, or even its shadow, is detected.
"We have obtained permission for sterilisation, but only on a very small scale. First, in six months, we will assess its success, and then we will seek approval from the central government to expand the programme. We are also trying to plant trees that those animals feed on, which are themselves prey for leopards, so that leopards are less likely to leave the jungles in search of food. We have also deployed AI-driven sirens that activate whenever a leopard, or even its shadow, is detected," he added.
Meanwhile, Ajinkya Bhatkar, Honorary Wildlife Warden, shared that the Forest Department received the information of the leopard entering a residence, injuring 1-2 people at 7:30 am. The CF (Conservator of Forests) and DCF (Deputy Conservator of Forests) instructed the RFO (Range Forest Officer) to deploy a transit treatment centre team.
"At around 07:30 am, the Forest Department received information that a leopard had entered a residential house, injuring 1-2 people. Immediately, CF (Conservator of Forests) and DCF (Deputy Conservator of Forests) instructed the RFO (Range Forest Officer) to send our transit treatment centre team..." he said.
"They started the operation at around 9:30 am and completed it within an hour. Dr Kulsum darted him, and the team rescued him and sent him to the transit treatment centre. The police also helped us a lot. This is a 3-year-old male leopard," he added.
An injured man shared, "It (a leopard) entered our area and started attacking people. Around 6:30 pm, while I was standing outside my house, it attacked me and later attacked three more people... They are currently admitted."
Another added, "I was standing on the balcony when it came from behind and started attacking. He was sitting on the bed, watching my daughter, ready to attack. When I tried to stop him, he attacked me. The incident happened at 06:30 pm."
The leopard has been safely rescued by the Forest Department, and all seven people it attacked are out of danger, as per the officials.