India, Oct. 16 -- In view of the increasing number of leopard attacks resulting in human deaths and injuries in Shirur tehsil, the forest department is planning to establish a dedicated leopard rescue centre in the area.

Capable of accommodating up to 200 leopards in captivity, the proposed facility will be the second dedicated leopard rescue centre in Pune district following the forest department's establishment of the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre (MLRC) in Junnar in 2002.

In an emergency meeting chaired by Ajit Pawar, deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, held in Pune on Tuesday, the initiative was discussed. The meeting was held to review the human-leopard conflict situation in Junnar, Shirur, Ambegaon, Khed, and Daund tehsils that...