Mumbai, Mar 23 (PTI) Maharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik on Monday said it was the state government that asked Reliance Foundation to accommodate leopards in its Vantara facility and added that 25 big cats have already been sent there.
Speaking in the legislative council during the amendment of the Wildlife Protection Act in its application to Maharashtra, Naik said the population of leopards has risen four times in 10 years. The state, which had 101 tigers seven-eight years back, now has 444, he said.
The bill was passed by the assembly last week and cleared by the council on Monday.
“Twenty-five leopards have been sent to Vantara. We made a demand (to take the leopards) because 150 leopards were trapped in Pune district,” Naik said. The state government has signed an agreement to translocate 50 leopards to Vantara.
The amendment Wildlife Protection Act has been brought because the Chief Wildlife Warden, in cases of human-leopard conflict, cannot take steps for population management or translocation of leopards under the said section 12 without permission from the Union government.
This highly regulated, cumbersome process is time consuming and is causing delay in effective scientific management and translocation of leopards as well as in dealing with human-leopard conflict in the state, Naik said.
The bill will enable the Chief Wildlife Warden to take necessary steps for scientific management of leopards, including translocation and population management with the permission of the state government.
Naik said the forest department is having a leopard and tiger safari in every district in the state.
The minister said there is a misunderstanding due to amendment to the bill and asserted no permission will be given to anyone to kill leopards. PTI PR BNM
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