Maharashtra MLA wears leopard costume in assembly to protest rising attacks

Screengrab: ANI

The winter session of the Maharashtra assembly saw an unusual moment on Wednesday when Junnar MLA Sharad Sonawane arrived dressed in a full leopard costume, complete with faux fur and a big-cat mask. His dramatic appearance was meant to highlight the sharp rise in leopard attacks across the state.

Sonawane said he has been raising this issue for nearly a decade but claimed the government has repeatedly ignored his warnings.

“An emergency should be declared for leopard attacks in the state. I have been raising this issue since 2014, but the government has kept ignoring me,” he said. “Rescue centres should be created, and the leopards should be trapped and kept in the centres.”

According to the MLA, 55 people have died in his constituency in just the last three months due to leopard attacks. He said he had flagged the same concern during the 2014–15 Winter Session as well.

#WATCH | Nagpur, Maharashtra: Junnar MLA Sharad Sonawane reaches the Assembly wearing leopard print clothes to protest against rising Leopard attacks.

He says, "An emergency should be declared for leopard attacks in the state. I have been raising this issue since 2014, but the… pic.twitter.com/tfUJVC9pam — ANI (@ANI) December 10, 2025

His protest came hours after a leopard entered a residential area in Nagpur and injured seven people. Forest officials quickly tranquilised the animal and moved it to safety. Maharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik later visited the injured and said all seven patients were stable.

Naik outlined several measures the state is implementing to reduce human–wildlife conflict:

Controlled sterilisation trial: The minister said the state has permission to carry out sterilisation on a very small scale. “In six months, we will assess the results and then seek approval from the Centre to expand the programme,” he said.

Habitat improvement: The government is planting tree species that support prey animals, in hopes of discouraging leopards from entering human settlements in search of food.

Technology deployment: AI-powered sirens have been installed in sensitive areas. These systems activate automatically when a leopard, or even its shadow, is detected.

Leopard-related incidents are highest in Ahilyanagar, Pune and Nashik districts. However, the leopard’s Schedule-I protected status limits the government’s actions. Maharashtra has formally asked the Union government to shift the species to Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act to allow more flexible management.