10 leopards from Junnar relocated to Vantara Jamnagar Zoo
In June 2024, the Central Zoo Authority of Delhi approved the relocation of a total 10 leopards including four females and six males from Manikdoh in Junnar taluka to Vantara in Jamnagar
The Junnar forest department has relocated 10 leopards from its Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre to Vantara Jamnagar Zoo in Gujarat, officials said on Thursday. A team of 25 people including doctors from Vantara and three ambulances came to Junnar to pick up the leopards and after completing the necessary health checkup, the Junnar forest officer sent the leopards to Jamnagar on Wednesday.
As per the information shared by the Junnar forest department, a team of 25 people from the Vanatara Jamnagar Zoo including a zoo manager, veterinary officer, and 23 members from the management team reached Junnar along with three big ambulances on July 31. The ambulances had hydraulic lift technology which helped in the seamless shifting of the leopards to the ambulances. The two ambulances ferried five leopards each while the third ambulance was backup. In case of any emergency situation, a breakdown vehicle was also sent along with the ambulances.
A team of 15 officials from the Junnar forest department as well as the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre helped in the relocation exercise. Before shifting the caged leopards into the ambulance, the team conducted the necessary health checkup. The leopards are expected to reach Jamnagar on August 1 around nighttime.
Earlier on May 27, Hindustan Times had reported about the proposal to shift the big cats to Gujarat due to the human-leopard conflict in Junnar tehsil having reached alarming levels with an increase in the number of leopard attacks in Junnar and its surrounding areas. At the same time, the number of leopards in captivity had also increased and the facility lacked sufficient space to accommodate the existing leopards, let alone additional ones.
In view of the situation, the Junnar forest department proposed to relocate some of the leopards from the Junnar forest range. As Gujarat is the closest state and the Vantara facility has sufficient capacity to house the leopards, it was decided to shift them there. In June 2024, the Central Zoo Authority of Delhi approved the relocation of a total 10 leopards including four females and six males from Manikdoh in Junnar taluka to Vantara in Jamnagar. The Vantara Jamnagar Zoo is billed as India’s largest wildlife rescue centre dedicated to rehabilitating injured, abused and threatened animals.
Amol Satpute, conservator of forests, Junnar, said, “This was a crucial step by the Junnar forest department towards mitigating the human-leopard conflict in Junnar tehsil. This year, within a span of two months (between March and May), Junnar experienced several leopard attacks in which three people lost their lives while two were seriously injured. We captured 10 leopards from areas including Pimpari Pendhar, Pimpalwandi and Kaalwadi, where the attacks and sighting incidents were frequent.”