Manikdoh rescue facility to be expanded as big cat count rises

PUNE: About 10 hectares will be added to the Manikdoh leopard rescue centre in Junnar, considering the space crunch owing to the rise in population of the big cats, the forest department informed on Thursday.
“We have bought a piece of land from the irrigation department for Rs 1.27 crore and the same will soon be transferred to the forest department,” chief conservator of forests (Pune) NR Praveen said during a press conference.
Manikdoh leopard rescue centre currently houses a total of 40 cages and is responsible for housing the rescued leopards in Junnar. With the increased population of leopards in the region rising to 300, the centre is currently falling short of space. This has forced the department to expand the centre and accommodate as many as 100 cages, besides increasing the facilities provided.
“We will increase the compound area and would need construction approval. Hence, after devising a plan we will be send the same to the central zoo authority for approval,” Praveen said.
The official also stated that the leopards tend to live longer in captivity and reproduce well. The junnar forest department currently has 150 trap cages and around 200 personnel. “We held a meeting at our head office and discussed about getting more trap cages and personnel for the department. We will soon send more equipment as the situation in the area is critical. There is a lot of demand from people in the region and we have to set up trap cages everywhere,” Praveen said.
The leopard sterilisation programme, introduced by the forest department, is still underway at its head office in Nagpur.
“We need to provide more justification and scientific backing to push this project forward,” he said.