Mumbai: Leopard rescued from Bhayandar society returns to wild

A leopard that had entered Parijat Society a residential building in Bhayandar East in Thane district of Maharashtra was released into the wild and its monitoring has shown that it is adapting to its natural habitat officials said on SaturdayMaharashtra Forest Department had on December 19 2025 safely rescued the leopard after it entered into a housing society and attacked multiple people The animal was captured by rescue teams from Sanjay Gandhi National Park SGNP and the Thane Forest DivisionHealth check at SGNPVeterinary officers confirmed that the animal was healthy PicSGNPMaharashtra Forest DepartmentAfter the rescue the leopard was taken to Sanjay Gandhi National Park Borivali for a medical examination Veterinary officers confirmed that the animal was healthy and had not suffered any injuries during the rescue operationForest minister visits site and injured localsMaharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik visited the site on 20 December 2025 to review the situation He also met injured residents at a hospital to enquire about their conditionFollowing his directions forest officials decided to monitor the leopard closely before releasing it back into the wildDecision to use satellite trackingA committee decided to fit the leopard with a Satellite GPS collar PicSGNPMaharashtra Forest DepartmentA committee formed by the Chief Wildlife Warden and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Wildlife Maharashtra along with senior forest officials from the western region reviewed the caseAfter a detailed presentation by officials from SGNP the committee decided to fit the leopard with a Satellite GPS collar and a microchip before releasing it into its natural habitatLeopard released with GPS collarThe leopard was fitted with a GPS satellite collar and microchip at SGNP after completing medical checks It was then released into its natural habitat on 25 December 2025GPS satellite collar and microchip fitted on leopard PicSGNPMaharashtra Forest DepartmentThe operation was carried out by teams from SGNP and the Thane Forest Division under the supervision of Anitta Patil Conservator of Forests and Director SGNP and Sachin Repal Deputy Conservator of Forests ThaneMonitoring to reduce humanwildlife conflictThe GPS collar allows forest officials and a research team from an NGO to track the leopardrsquos movement using GPS and radio signals This will help officials study leopard behaviour and reduce humanndashleopard conflict in the regionForest staff are also gaining training in modern wildlife monitoring techniques through this initiativeLeopardrsquos movement can be tracked with GPS PicSGNPMaharashtra Forest DepartmentLeopard settling back into the wildSince its release officials have observed that the leopard is moving within its natural forest area and gradually stabilising No further conflict has been reported so farGanesh Naik Forest Minister Maharashtra said Leopard conflict is increasing across the state This was a young leopard that likely lost its way and entered the city To understand its movement and prevent future conflicts we fitted a radio collar and released it back into the forest Our teams are monitoring it day and night and will respond immediately if requiredLeopard was seen settling well into its natural habitat PicSGNPMaharashtra Forest DepartmentTracking after releaseAnitta Patil Conservator of Forests and Director SGNP said The Forest Department is committed to protecting both people and wildlife GPS tracking after release helps us make informed decisions and supports peaceful coexistence between humans and wildlifeView this post on InstagramA post shared by midday middayindia