IN THE wake of human-leopard conflicts in Maharashtra in recent times, the State Government has appealed the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India to shift this elusive wild animal from the highly protected Schedule I category of the Wildlife Protection Act to the more flexible Schedule II category here on Monday.

 

The request was made recently amid increasing incidents of venturing of leopards close to villages and even in city limits in the state. Due to increasing cases of leopard-human encounters, the Forest Department is also struggling to respond swiftly on every call of leopard sighting. Forest Minister Ganesh Naik said, the mounting crisis has been the subject of intense deliberation within the Government, culminating in an appeal to New Delhi for immediate intervention. He acknowledged the backlash from conservationists over his earlier remarks on allowing officials to shoot leopards after a string of fatal attacks — particularly in bustling residential pockets — but insisted that the heart of the issue lies in the rigid protection the species currently enjoys.

 

“Leopards fall under Schedule I, which binds our hands. Capturing or eliminating a maneater becomes a complex, timeconsuming affair.We have therefore sought a shift to Schedule II. The Centre has also granted permission for sterilisation, so identifying and sterilising maneaters must now be prioritised,” Naik said. As leopard attacks intensify in Pune, Nashik, and Ahilyanagar, fear has seeped into villages and semi-urban lanes,promptingresidentsand local leaders to demand resolute action. Moving leopards to Schedule II, the minister said,wouldgivetheStatewider latitude to intervene swiftly in conflict zones. Naik’s appeal comes close on the heels of a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who urged the administration toconsiderdeclaringtheescalating leopard attacks a ‘state disaster’. He also ordered cages to be installedatstrategiclocations, drones to be deployed to trace leopards wandering near human settlements, and new rescuecentrestobeestablished without delay.