Sanjay P.Khodake and Yogeshwar M.Nandre

Department of Zoology

Karm. A. M. Patil Arts, Commerce & Kai. N. K. Patil Science Senior College,

Pimplaner Tal. Sakri Dist. Dhule

email: sanjay.khodke@gmail.com

Abstract:

Human–leopard conflict is rising across many parts of Maharashtra. Sakri Taluka in the Dhule district has recently emerged as a significant hotspot for human-leopard (Pantherapardus) conflict. A survey including questionnaire was conducted in six sites of Sakritaluka.The average number of injuries and deaths due to leopard attacks in study area is noted. Majority of the leopard attack victims in study area were livestock and young people, with a noticeable increase in incidents in winter. This study explores the correlation between rapid habitat degradation, driven by agricultural expansion and deforestation. By analyzing recent incidents inNov-Dec, 2025 and Jan, 2026, including attacks on motorists and livestock predation, the study highlights the need for localized mitigation strategies that move beyond mere translocation toward habitat restoration and community-based co-management. Key recommendations include restoring habitat connectivity, targeted livestock-protection measures, community awareness programs, and strengthened rapid-response capacity for the forest department.

Keywords: Pantherapardus, Human-Leopard conflict, Habitat degradation, livestock, Sakri

Introduction:

The leopard (Pantherapardus) is a highly adaptable apex predator capable of surviving in diverse landscapes. Leopard thrives across diverse habitats, ranging from lowlands to elevations of 4400 m, encompassing grasslands, forests, and mountainous terrains (Can et al., 2020; Baralet al., 2023). Leopards play a critical ecological role but increasingly come into conflict with humans where natural habitats are altered or fragmented.Sakri is characterized by its hilly terrain and traditional forest patches which have undergone significant fragmentation. In the Dhule district of north-western Maharashtra, particularly Sakritaluka, a string of leopard incidents reported by local and national media indicates both recurring close encounters and occasional attacks on people and domestic animals. Their diet consists of many prey species, including birds, rodents, and other small mammals, yet they favor medium-sized ungulates as their primary food source (Hayward et al., 2006; Bhandari, Baral&Adhikari, 2022). As natural prey bases like barking deer and wild boar diminish due to habitat loss, leopards are increasingly drawn to human settlements. This study compiles recent documented incidents and explores how habitat degradation, agricultural expansion, and water scarcity contribute to these conflicts.

Aim of the study: The study explores the correlation between habitat degradation and the increasing frequency of leopard attacks on livestock and humans in Sakritaluka.

Objectives:

1. To study how habitat degradation links to Human-Leopard conflict.

2. To study the recent incidents of leopard attack in Sakri region.

3. To study the steps to adopt mitigation measures and recommendations.

Materials and Methods:

          Study area:Sakri Tal, Dhule district, MaharashtraSakri Tal lies in the western part of Dhule district, a region composed of mixed dry-deciduous patches, agricultural lands, and scattered village settlements. Over recent years the landscape mosaic has shifted: increasing irrigation, expansion of monoculture and seasonal crops, and human settlement growth have modified leopard habitat, producing more edge environments attractive to adaptable carnivores but increasing human–animal interface.

Methodology:

This study is based on:

(1) A survey including questionnaire was conducted in leopard attack sites of Sakritaluka.

(2) Evidenceof leopard attacks was collected from Range Forest Office, Pimpalner&Sakri.

(3) A targeted review of recent news reports and rescue-records concerning leopard incidents in Sakritaluka(Nov-Dec, 2025 & Jan, 2026).

(4) Synthesis of conservation commentary on causes of human–leopard conflict in Maharashtra.

(5) Application of standard conflict-mitigation recommendations from wildlife-management practice.

Results and Discussion:

       Habitat Degradation: Habitat degradation in Sakritalukais not just the loss of trees; it is the fundamental alteration of the landscape.

 

Drivers: How habitat degradation links to conflict:

1. Loss of contiguous natural habitat and fragmentation: As native scrub and dry deciduous patches are converted to farmland or divided by roads and settlements, leopards lose continuous ranges and are forced to use remnant patches and agricultural edges for hunting and movement. This increases encounters with people. (General pattern reflected in regional case studies of Maharashtra.)
2. Agricultural Encroachment: The conversion of forest fringes into agricultural land, particularly for cash crops, has blurred the boundaries between wild and domestic spaces.
3. Loss of Natural Prey: Overgrazing by domestic cattle and illegal wood felling in the Sahyadri spurs surrounding Sakri have depleted the natural fodder for ungulates.
4. Food availability in altered landscapes: Converted landscapes (e.g., irrigated fields, sugarcane, and grain stores) attract prey species (rodents, feral dogs, small ungulates) and sometimes stray/guard dogs or livestock in the village periphery. This draws leopards into fields and village edges, increasing overlap.
5. Feral Dog Populations: Poor waste management in villages near Sakri attracts feral dogs, which serve as a “primary protein source” for leopards, drawing them into the heart of human habitations.
6. The ‘Sugarcane’ Effect: Similar to the Junnar model, leopards in Sakri are utilizing tall crops like sugarcane and maize as ‘pseudo-forests’, providing them with cover and easy access to domestic dogs and livestock.
7. Water scarcity and use of village water sources: Drier months push big cats to seek water in village wells, storage pots, and livestock troughs. The 2024 ‘head-stuck-in-pot’ rescue illustrates how proximity to human water sources can create hazardous interactions.
8. Human behaviors and infrastructure gaps: Free-ranging livestock, nocturnal outdoor activities, and lack of secure night-time animal enclosures increase vulnerability. Inadequate rapid-response and local reporting mechanisms can exacerbate risk and delay safe capture/relocation measures.

Recent Leopard Attacks (In last Three Months): Case Studies

Recent data highlights a shift in leopard behavior, moving from nocturnal stealth to more aggressive daylight encounters.While the incidents of leopard attacks in Nashik and Kolhapur are fresh, a leopard created terror in Sakritaluka on the evening of November 19, 2025.On the Nandwan-Trishulpada-Bhadne route, between 7.30 pm and 8.30 pm, the leopard attacked four separate places in a span of just one and a half hours. Six persons traveling on three bikes were injured in these attacks.

Date	Location	Incident Type	Outcome
Nov 19, 2025	Nandwan Road,BhadaneShivar, Sakri	Attack on home-goers (motorists / bike)	The leopard first attacked HarshalShewale and DnyaneshwarBichkule of Nandwan. He was going home from Sakri on a two-wheeler. Then a leopard suddenly pounced on them near the temple of Ashapuri Devi, one to two kilometers from Bhadne village. Both were injured in this incident. They threw away the motorcycle and fled for their lives.
Nov 19, 2025	BhadaneShivar, Sakri	Attack on approaching friend	After reaching Sakri, HarshalShewale and DnyaneshwarBichkule informed their friend GhanshyamDevare about the attack. Ghanshyam along with his friends NitinDeore and AtulSalunkhe was coming to Sakri on the same road to meet the injured. At that time, the leopard attacked and injured all three of them.
Nov 19, 2025	Bhadaneroute, Sakri	Attack on motorists (bike)	After this incident, two more youths of TrishulPada village were attacked by a leopard.
Nov 19, 2025	Bhadane route, Sakri	leopard attacked a car	The leopard attacked a car. Fortunately, no one in this car was injured.
Dec 24, 2025	Wathode (Adjacent Shirpur/Sakri)	Livestock Predation	Three calves killed in a single night
Jan 2026	Rural Sakri Fringes	Daytime Sighting/Chasing	Panic in local farming communities

Table No.1: Showing Leopard attacks in last three months (Nov-Dec-Jan)

These incidents taken together show a pattern of opportunistic leopard movements into human-dominated spaces, occasionally with catastrophic outcomes.

Consequences for people and leopards:

• For communities: Loss of life or injury, economic loss from livestock depredation, psychological stress, reduced willingness to coexist, and occasional mob action against forest staff or animals. High-profile human fatalities have led to public pressure for capture or translocation.The socio-economic impact in Sakri is profound. Farmers are increasingly reluctant to work in fields after sunset, affecting crop yields.
• For leopards: Injured or trapped animals, culling/translocation risks, and reduced survival prospects when forced into human-dominated landscapes. Repeated capture-and-relocation without addressing habitat drivers often leads to reappearance of conflict elsewhere.

Mitigation and Recommendations(locally actionable for Sakri Tal):

To address the conflict in SakriTaluka, a multi-pronged approach is required:

• Habitat Restoration: Reforestation of the local grazing lands to encourage the return of natural prey.
• Water management:Create or maintain wildlife-friendly water points away from villages (seasonal waterholes located near core habitat) to reduce visits to human water sources.
• Community awareness and behaviour change:
  • Conduct sustained awareness campaigns about safe timings, travel advisories (avoid walking alone at night in high-risk zones), and steps to take during sightings (call forest helpline, do not provoke the animal).
  • Encourage community reporting networks (mobile WhatsApp groups linked to forest department rapid-response teams) for faster, safer response.
  • Improve carcass disposal practices to avoid attracting leopards and scavengers.
• Do not allow grass to grow near the house.
• Fencing houses and cowsheds.
• Solar Street Lighting: Installing high-intensity solar lights in “conflict hotspots” identified by the Forest Department.Make availability of electricity to agriculture only during day hours.
• Rapid Response Teams (RRT): Establishing a dedicated RRT in Sakri. Strengthen rapid-response teams with trained personnel, cage traps, tranquilization equipment, and vehicles; deploy camera traps and targeted CCTV in hotspot villages as temporary surveillance.
• AI-Driven Monitoring: Utilizing thermal drones and AI-enabled cameras to track leopard movement near schools and residential clusters.
• These mitigation measures are also recommended by earlier researchers (Naha et al. 2018). 

Discussion:

In Sakri Tal and broader Dhule, human–leopard conflict is symptomatic of a landscape in transition. When natural landscape are split up into smaller, more isolated areas as a result of human activities like infrastructure development, agricultural expansions, or urbanization, leads to habitat fragmentation. In such cases, organisms are less able to obtain vital resources like food, water, and mates (Chauhan and Goyal 2000). S.Sidhuet al., (2017) shows that the attacks on people occurred mostlyon young children who were unsupervised, and during lateevenings. Guidelines for human-leopard conflict managementby Ministry of Environment and Forests (2011) note that suchsituation-based attacks on people may result from accidentalencounters that are avoidable by employing solutions that donot attract leopards in the vicinity of human-settlements, suchas providing garbage disposal, sanitation, improving livestockcorralling, as well as by advising people to accompany childrenand carry lights when going out in the evenings so that chanceencounters can be avoided.

Leopards’ ecological adaptability allows them to persist near humans (Hunter & Price, 1992; Gandiwa, 2013), but persistence comes with escalating incidents when structural drivers (fragmentation, water scarcity, prey shifts) are ignored. Media-documented rescues and captures (e.g., the pot-entrapment rescue and capture of problem individuals) show reactive management is underway, yet long-term coexistence requires proactive habitat and community-level solutions. Integrated approaches that combine habitat restoration, community engagement, livestock protection, and stronger rapid-response will reduce both human risk and pressure on leopards.

Conclusion:

The human-leopard conflict in Sakri is a symptom of a larger ecological imbalance.Habitat degradation has forced the leopard to become a ‘village resident’ rather than a ‘forest ghost’.The pattern of recent leopard incidents in and around Sakri Tal underscores the urgent need to address habitat degradation, water scarcity, and landscape fragmentation. Practical, locally tailored interventions, focused on restoring connectivity, protecting livestock, improving water infrastructure, and equipping forest teams can reduce conflict and promote coexistence. Given the cultural and ecological importance of large carnivores and the livelihoods of rural communities, balanced, science-informed policy that centers both human safety and leopard conservation is essential.

References:

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7. Loksatta and regional Marathi outlets documenting later sightings, injuries to people (e.g., motorcycle-related injury incidents), and local responses (camera-traps, cages) in Sakritaluka.
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