Subsequently, the Maharashtra Forest Department signed an agreement with Vantara for relocating 50 leopards. (Representative Image)As many as 20 leopards captured from the Junnar area in Pune district have been relocated to ‘Vantara’, an animal rescue, care and rehabilitation centre in Gujarat established by the Reliance Foundation.A significant rise in leopard–human conflict has been reported in the Junnar division of the state Forest Department, which comprises the Junnar, Ambegaon, Shirur and Rajgurunagar talukas of Pune district.According to a press release issued by the Deputy Conservator of Forest (Junnar Division), several leopards captured from the region were being housed at the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Center in Junnar.However, the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Center has the capacity to accommodate only 50 leopards, while the number of animals captured from areas under the Junnar division is much higher. Therefore, it became necessary to shift some of the leopards to other safe locations, the release stated.A proposal to shift 50 leopards from the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Center to the Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (GZRRC) at Vantara in Jamnagar, Gujarat, was sent to the Central Zoo Authority of India (CZA) in New Delhi.The proposal was approved on December 20, 2025. Subsequently, the Maharashtra Forest Department signed an agreement with Vantara for relocating 50 leopards.Also Read | As PMRDA chief Dr Yogesh Mhase moves on, a look at massive infra push in Pune during his tenureInitially, the process to relocate 20 leopards was initiated. Accordingly, a team of 25 officials from the GZRRC, led by veterinary officer Gaurav Shrivastav, reached Junnar on Friday.Story continues below this adFollowing directions from Jitendra Ramgaonkar, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, and Ashish Thakare, Chief Conservator of Forest, 10 male and 10 female leopards were transported to Vantara in a well-equipped rescue van of the GZRRC on Saturday. Senior forest department officers were present on the occasion.“Essential precautions are taken for relocating the leopards safely to Vantara. The leopards would reach Vantara on Sunday. During the journey, veterinary experts would check the leopards from time to time to ensure they are safe,” said Thakare.Forest officials said that in future 30 more leopards would be similarly shifted to Vantara.The state Forest Department has rescued 184 leopards in the Junnar division in the past five years, with most being saved from open wells.Story continues below this adThe Junnar Forest Division has also witnessed a sharp rise in human–leopard conflict in recent weeks, with at least three people — including two children — killed since October 2025 and several others injured in leopard attacks.Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:pune