Rescued leopard remains close to release zone; GPS collar helping study its behaviour and reduce attacks on humans; researchers tracking the leopard said it has been making kills roughly once a week
Fitted with a GPS radio collar, the big cat is being tracked round the clock after its rescue and release. Pic/By Special Arrangement
The leopard rescued from a densely populated area in Bhayander East and released into Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) appears to have settled into the forest, at least for now, forest officials said.
Fitted with a GPS radio collar, the animal has largely restricted its movement to areas close to the release site and is showing normal behaviour, including resting during the day and moving at night. Researchers tracking the leopard said it has been making kills roughly once a week.
A camera trap image has confirmed that the leopard killed a domestic dog after its release. SGNP Deputy Director (North) Pradip Patil told mid-day that a team of forest officials and wildlife researchers is continuously monitoring the leopard’s movement.
“Over the last two days, its movement has remained mostly on the northern side of the forest patch near the release site. Some location data was missed due to resting behaviour and poor satellite coverage, but a clearer picture of the distance covered will emerge in the next 15 to 20 days,” Patil said.
The animal had entered Parijat Society, a residential building in Bhayander East in Thane district, and was rescued on December 19, 2025, after attacking multiple people. It was captured by teams from SGNP and the Thane forest division and released into the wild on December 25, 2025.
The GPS collar allows forest staff and an NGO research team to track the leopard using satellite and radio signals, helping study its behaviour and reduce conflict. Forest personnel are also being trained in modern wildlife monitoring techniques.
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