A male adult leopard intermittently sighted within the Pune Airport premises since April 2025 was successfully darted and captured on 11 December, following a meticulously coordinated operation led by the Pune Forest Department, with support from RESQ Charitable Trust, the Indian Air Force, and Pune Airport Authorities.

The leopard was first confirmed on 28 April 2025. Over the following months, officials tracked the animal navigating a complex maze of underground service tunnels, dense vegetation, and low-footfall zones inside the airport premises—making capture efforts exceptionally challenging. The Forest Department deployed camera traps, live surveillance systems, and trap cages, but the big cat repeatedly avoided entering the cages and continued to move across restricted areas.