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.

The Junnar forest division has trained 120 youths as guides to help tourists who visit and trek in and around Junnar tehsil throughout the year.

The Junnar forest division is in the process of preparing a detailed project report (DPR) for ‘leopard safari’, with the Pune district administration sanctioning Rs1.5 crore for it. The agencies empanelled with the state government will prepare the DPR.

A three-and-a-half-year-old male leopard was found dead in a well at Udapur village near Otur in Junnar taluka. The well had no protective wall to prevent such a mishap, forest officials said and added, the animal might have fallen in it while chasing prey at night.

A study conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has found that leopards in the Junnar forest division are holding their territory over a 40sqkm area for at least four years. The study, conducted over three years in 10 villages in Shirur tehsil, aims to understand the movements and behavior of leopards near human habitats. The researchers have analyzed approximately 2 lakh images from trap cameras installed in the villages. The study has found that leopards in Junnar hold less territory than those in the forest, as they have access to food, water, and safe shelter near human habitation.

The Junnar forest division has closed the wildlife areas under its limits to tourists in an effort to contain the spread of Covid-19.

Rising leopard deaths in Junnar forest division due to territorial fights and ecological imbalance. Lack of concrete plan to tackle the issue, with deaths mainly attributed to increasing leopard numbers and habitat challenges in Manchar and Shirur forest ranges.

The Junnar forest division has decided to construct 70 artificial ponds at strategic locations inside the forest in an attempt to prevent man-animal conflicts in Junnar, Shirur, Ambegaon and Khed tehsils, as wild animals tend to stray into nearby villages in search of water, especially during summer.