Pune Leopard shot dead after three fatal attacks; Meet the men who pulled the trigger

The animal was killed at around 10.30 pm by a team of two national-level rifle shooters and long-time volunteers in wildlife rescue

A six-year-old male leopard, believed to be behind three fatal attacks in Pune district’s Pimparkhed and nearby villages, was shot dead late on Tuesday night — ending a 20-day reign of fear that had gripped Shirur tehsil while also sparking a wave of uneasy reflection among those who took the shot.

Officials said that the leopard shot dead was thus shot following a failed attempt to tranquilise it, which led the big cat to charge at the rescue team. (HT)

The animal was killed at around 10.30 pm by a team of two national-level rifle shooters and long-time volunteers in wildlife rescue.

The big cat eliminated was different from the one captured Tuesday morning and another on Wednesday by the rescue team. Both, previously suspected to be involved in the attack on humans, are currently being kept at base camp in Pimparkhed amid demands from angry locals that they be eliminated too.

Officials said that the leopard shot dead was thus shot following a failed attempt to tranquilise it, which led the big cat to charge at the rescue team. The operation was conducted with special permission from the principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), Maharashtra.

But not everyone agreed with how it unfolded. A source involved in the operation said that the leopard was killed “without a genuine effort to dart it first”, raising questions about whether the forest team had exhausted all alternatives before pulling the trigger.

The shooting brought to an end, weeks of terror that had engulfed the agrarian belt around Mauje Pimparkhed, about 80 km from Pune city. In a span of just three weeks, three people had been killed in leopard attacks — five-year-old Shivanya Shailesh Bombe on October 12; 82-year-old Bhagubai Rangnath Jadhav on October 22; and 13-year-old Rohan Vilas Bombe on November 2.

After the third fatality, which led to massive protests, permission to shoot the leopard-suspected-to-have-turned-maneater on sight was sought by the chief conservator of forests (Pune) Ashish Thakare.

A special operation team was formed comprising forest officials and experts from Pune-based wildlife rescue NGO RESQ Charitable Trust. The team included wildlife veterinarian Dr Satwik Pathak and sharpshooters Dr Prasad Dabholkar and Zubin Poona Postwalla — both national-level rifle shooters and long-time volunteers in wildlife rescue.

Camera traps and pugmark trails helped narrow down the leopard’s location. Three thermal drones were also deployed for aerial surveillance. Around 7.30 pm on Tuesday, one of the drones picked up movement near a field just 400 metres from the site of the last attack. The rescue team moved in.

“Efforts were made to dart the leopard, but the attempt missed,” said assistant conservator of forests Smita Rajhans, who oversaw the operation. “The animal then charged toward the team, forcing the sharpshooter to open fire. The leopard was hit twice and killed instantly.”

Villagers were later shown the carcass of the big cat to confirm that it was the same animal they had seen near the earlier attack sites. The body was then taken to the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre in Junnar for a post-mortem. “Based on pugmarks, scat samples, and other evidence, it appears to have been the same leopard responsible for the attacks,” Rajhans said. DNA testing will confirm the match.

“We hoped it wouldn’t come to this”

For Prasad Dabholkar, who actually fired the shot that killed the wanted animal, the night in Pimparkhed was one of the most difficult of his life.

Dabholkar is no stranger to the wild. A doctor by profession and a wildlife rescuer by passion, he has spent over 25 years saving animals, not killing them. He has worked with organisations like RESQ and Wildlife Warriors, and has rescued thousands of animals — from snakes and owls to leopards.

“This was the first elimination operation of my life,” he said quietly, recounting the night. “We were ready for a rescue, not to shoot. After confirming the leopard’s presence through the drone, we decided to dart it. But the terrain was uneven and visibility was low. When the dart missed, the flash of light startled the leopard. It charged toward the vehicle. We had seconds to react. There was no other choice.”

Dabholkar’s tone carries more regret than relief. “Personally, it was painful for me to kill the leopard. I have dedicated my life to conservation. But sometimes, you have to act according to what the situation demands.”

Zubin Poona Postwalla, who has participated in several high-risk wildlife operations in the western ghats, echoed similar sentiments. “It’s never easy. You train for precision, not to end life. But when an animal repeatedly attacks and villagers are on the verge of taking matters into their own hands, decisions have to be made in seconds.”

For both men, the shot that ended Pimparkhed’s paranoia also marked a moral crossroads — one that many in the wildlife rescue fraternity grapple with as human-wildlife conflicts intensify across Maharashtra.

A village divided between relief and remorse

By Wednesday morning, calm had returned to Pimparkhed. Villagers who had refused to step out after dusk finally breathed easy. “We didn’t sleep for days. We couldn’t let children walk to school. We feel safe again,” said Vilas Bombe, whose 13-year-old son was among the victims.

But alongside relief, there was also a sombre sense of loss. “The leopard was not evil,” said a local schoolteacher. “It was doing what animals do when humans enter their space. But for us, it had become a question of survival.”

Wildlife officials said that the department has so far captured 12 leopards from Pimparkhed and nearby areas since October 12. On Wednesday, just hours after the shooting, another leopard — a three-year-old female — was tranquilised and captured from a sugarcane field near the same area. Both captured animals are being held at the Pimparkhed base camp before being moved to the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre.

Maharashtra’s rising man-leopard conflict

The Pimparkhed incident is only the latest in a string of deadly encounters across Pune district. The Junnar forest division — which includes Shirur, Khed, and Ambegaon talukas — has recorded over 40 leopard-related human injuries and fatalities since 2020.

Experts say habitat fragmentation, a shrinking prey base, and sugarcane cultivation are driving leopards closer to villages. The tall fields provide cover during the day and attract stray dogs and livestock at night, making them ideal hunting grounds.

Dr Dabholkar believes the conflict is not about aggressive animals, but desperate ones. “We are not dealing with rogue leopards; we are dealing with displaced leopards,” he said. “Every time one is killed, another will come to fill the vacuum. The only sustainable way forward is coexistence and early intervention.”

Between conservation and consequence

As news of the killing spread, the debate over the forest department’s handling of the crisis was reignited. Some wildlife groups questioned the need for elimination, arguing that the leopard could have been trapped earlier if monitoring had been more intensive. Others defended the decision, saying the situation had reached a point of no return after three deaths and widespread unrest.

For now, the department is awaiting the post-mortem and DNA results before officially closing the case. But for those on the ground, the outcome is already etched in memory — as both relief and tragedy.

Standing near the sugarcane fields where it all ended, Dr Dabholkar summed it up simply: “We didn’t win that night. We just stopped the fear.”