Junnar's Leopard Crisis: Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre Offers A Lifeline
Junnar has lost 52 lives to leopard attacks. Now the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre has 50 captured big cats
Published : October 13, 2025 at 2:12 PM IST
By Sajjad Syed
Pune: Junnar taluka of Pune district has lost 52 people to leopard attacks in the past 25 years. Junnar taluka is said to top the list of leopard attacks in the country. The leopard attack threats persist, having created a fear psychosis in the area.
To deal with the man-animal conflict, the Forest Department has been capturing the attacking leopards. But what next? A well-equipped leopard shelter styled as ‘Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre' was set up in the taluka to accommodate the captured leopards in 2002.
Since it was not possible to send all the leopards captured by the forest department to other places like zoos, the need for a special leopard shelter arose. This centre has been established in collaboration with the Junnar Forest Department and 'Wildlife SOS'. Now there are more than 50 leopards here.
The captured leopards have been given separate names and special cages have been made to accommodate them. More than 124 leopards can live together in the shelter.
Forest Department officer Pradeep Chavan told ETV Bharat, "There has been an increase in leopard attacks in Junnar taluka since 1995. Leopards are seen in sugarcane fields. In view of this, we established the centre at Manikdoh. Initially, this centre was on four hectares of land and had the capacity to house 44 leopards."
But as the leopard attacks have been increasing in the last few years, the government has provided another 12 hectares of land.
"Sugarcane is cultivated on a large scale in Junnar taluka. Also, in rural areas, fewer houses are seen in villages and more houses are seen in fields. While living in the fields, farmers keep some chickens, goats, sheep, and cows as a means of livelihood. Also, since the number of various animals and birds is also high in sugarcane fields, abundant food is available to leopards. Due to this, their association with sugarcane fields is seen increasing", informed Chavan.
Chavan said, "If we look at the statistics of the last 25 years, there have been more attacks on children and women. Also, there are some attacks in which some citizens have been seriously injured."
Explaining about the shelter, Chavan said: "Three types of leopards are sheltered here. When sugarcane harvesting is in progress, small leopard cubs are found there. Then the forest department reunites the cubs. If the mother does not take the cubs, then the cubs are taken care of here. Secondly, the speed of vehicles is high on major highways. Due to this, if a leopard has an accident, the leopard is brought to the multi-speciality hospital and treated and kept here. Thirdly, those man-eating leopards are imprisoned here."
Chavan also said cages are named after forts: "When a leopard is first brought to the shelter, it is tested in the hospital. After that, two types of cages have been made here. One is a 'day cage' and one is a 'night cage'. In the day cage, the leopard roams during the day. A jungle-like environment has been created for this. Since there are various forts in Shiv Bhoomi, the birthplace of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the centre has five sections. Each section has been named after forts - like Hadsar, Shivneri, Nimgiri, Chavand and Jivdhan.
Dr. Avinash Visalkar, Medical Officer at the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre, said: “We operate a multi-speciality hospital here and not only leopards but all wildlife is treated here. This is a well-equipped hospital and when a leopard first comes here, it is completely examined, its blood samples are taken and tested in the lab."
Visalkar explained that the lifespan of a leopard in the wild is 15 to 17 years, but when it comes here, its lifespan becomes 20 to 22 years.
"The leopards here are given chicken five days a week according to their age and weight, and each leopard is examined every three months. Also, each leopard is provided with a space of 280 square meters and they roam around there during the day. Also, a microchip has been installed in each leopard and this chip shows their identity,” said Visalkar.
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