Maha govt urges Centre to include leopards in Schedule 2 amid rising civilian deaths

Amid a troubling rise in deadly encounters between humans and leopards across Maharashtra, the state government has appealed to the Centre to shift the elusive big cat from the highly protected Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act to the more flexible Schedule II. Officials say the request, made on Monday, is born of urgency, as forest teams struggle to respond swiftly under the current legal constraints.

Forest minister Ganesh Naik said the mounting crisis has been the subject of intense deliberation within the government, culminating in an appeal to New Delhi for immediate intervention. He acknowledged the backlash from conservationists over his earlier remarks on allowing officials to shoot leopards after a string of fatal attacks — particularly in bustling residential pockets — but insisted that the heart of the issue lies in the rigid protections the species currently enjoys.

“Leopards fall under Schedule I, which binds our hands. Capturing or eliminating a man-eater becomes a complex, time-consuming affair. We have therefore sought a shift to Schedule II. The Centre has also granted permission for sterilisation, so identifying and sterilising man-eaters must now be prioritised,” Naik said.

For now, the spotted predators remain shielded by the strongest protections the law can offer — making rescue, tranquillisation, translocation, or in extreme cases, elimination a labyrinth of permissions. But as attacks intensify in Pune, Nashik, and Ahilyanagar, fear has seeped into villages and semi-urban lanes, prompting residents and local leaders to demand resolute action. Moving leopards to Schedule II, officials say, would give the state wider latitude to intervene swiftly in conflict zones.

Naik’s appeal comes close on the heels of a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who urged the administration to consider declaring the escalating leopard attacks a ‘state disaster’. He also ordered cages to be installed at strategic locations, drones to be deployed to trace leopards wandering near human settlements, and new rescue centres to be established without delay.

To that end, the government has already set in motion plans to open two dedicated rescue and rehabilitation centres in Pune district, expected to take shape within the next few months — an attempt to restore some fragile balance between forest and field, predator and people.

With IANS inputs