Maharashtra forest minister Ganesh Naik on Tuesday said he has directed officials to release goats in large numbers inside forests to discourage leopards from straying into human settlements in search of food.
He was responding to an NCP (SP) MLA Jitendra Awhad’s calling attention motion in the legislative assembly regarding the rise in leopard attacks across the state.
Naik said the idea is economically practical as well. “If four people are killed in leopard attacks, the state pays ₹1 crore in compensation. Instead of paying compensation after deaths, I told officials to release goats worth ₹1 crore into the forest so leopards don’t enter human habitats,” he said.
The minister added that this measure will soon be implemented in areas reporting frequent leopard sightings and attacks. He noted that leopard behaviour has changed significantly, with many now living in sugarcane fields instead of deep forests.
Ahilyanagar, Pune and Nashik districts are reporting the highest number of leopard-related incidents, Naik said. Forest officials have also observed a rise in the number of cubs per litter—often four—which is accelerating the population growth.
On the proposal to sterilise leopards, Naik said the Union government has only permitted sterilisation of five leopards on a trial basis, with results to be reviewed after three years. However, the state plans to begin the experimental process and approach the Centre after six months to expand the scope.
To restrict the movement of leopards and tigers outside forest areas, the government plans to plant bamboo around dense forests like Tadoba to act as a natural barrier. Naik also directed officials to plant more fruit-bearing trees as the decline of such trees is driving prey animals outside forests, which in turn attracts predators.
He further said that because the leopard is listed as a Schedule-I species under the Wildlife Protection Act—limiting intervention measures—the state has proposed shifting it to Schedule-II to allow more flexibility in managing human-wildlife conflict.
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