While exact route of leopard — that wreaked havoc on Friday morning - took to reach housing society is unclear, it is believed he may have moved in through the thick mangrove forest patch along Bhayandar creek
The rescued leopard in the custody of forest department officials. Pic/By Special Arrangement
The presence of a leopard in the densely populated Bhayandar East locality has left residents and officials puzzled about how the animal managed to reach a residential building far from known forest patches on Friday. Forest department officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they believe the leopard may have moved through a mangrove patch near Reti Bunder along Bhayandar khadi after dispersing from the Sanjay Gandhi National Park landscape.
Experts speak
Biologist Nikit Surve of Wildlife Conservation Society-India, who has been studying Mumbai’s leopards for the past decade and has radio-collared five leopards in Sanjay Gandhi National Park, said the incident was not unusual.
The rescued leopard in the custody of Forest Department officials. Pics/By Special Arrangement
“This is not the first time a leopard has been reported from this area. We have records of leopards using the mangrove belt that connects to Sanjay Gandhi National Park. While it is still unclear whether leopards permanently inhabit mangroves, our research shows they use these habitats as movement corridors,” Surve said.
He added that similar movement patterns have been documented in other parts of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. “We have records of leopards using the Gorai landscape as well. A few years ago, a leopard was also rescued from Bhayandar near the railway tracks,” he said.
The rescue team that carried out the leopard rescue in Bhayandar. Pic/Satej Shinde
Kedar Gore from the Corbett Foundation said, “Coordination between agencies is essential to manage the crowd during such rescue operations. While the forest department team is busy rescuing the animal, the police, home guards, and other local administration staff must be deployed to control the crowd. Large crowds creating a ruckus can be quite stressful for leopards. Effective crowd management would help in minimising such incentives in future. We must remember that the injuries caused in this case were only because the leopard was trying to escape from the area, and not a deliberate attempt to attack people.”
Central mystery
While the exact route taken by the leopard remains unclear, forest officials believe it may have travelled through mangrove patches along Bhayandar khadi. Satellite imagery shows a near-continuous mangrove belt stretching from Bhayandar khadi through Reti Bunder and up to the Ghodbunder Fort area. This green corridor further connects to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park landscape, offering a possible passage for wildlife movement.
A screengrab from a viral video showing the leopard inside a residential housing colony in Bhayandar East. Pic/Ranjeet Jadhav
Was big cat spotted earlier?
In March 2022, mid-day had reported sightings of leopard pugmarks in the Gorai-Manori belt, an area where residents and officials had earlier believed leopard presence was unlikely.
The approximate road distance between the SGNP main gate and Gorai, where pugmarks were found, is about 25 km.
In February 2022, a male leopard was rescued from a dry stormwater drain near Jai Ambe Nagar in Bhayandar. That animal was found around seven to eight kilometres away from the nearest forest patch.
Patterns to be matched
Sources from SGNP said forest officials are attempting to match the rosette patterns of the leopard rescued from Bhayandar in 2022 with those of the leopard captured recently in Bhayandar East to determine whether the same animal may be involved in both incidents.
On Friday, the leopard was rescued from this point in Bhayandar East, BP Road No. 5, Parijat Building
Thursday 11.30 pm
A local dog feeder spots the leopard in the Bhayandar East area and alerts authorities.
Friday 7.45–8.00 am
The leopard is sighted on Talav Road, where Deepu Bhowmick is attacked on his first-floor balcony.
Friday Around 8 am
Rakesh Yadav and Shyaam Sahani are attacked while returning home on BP Road after breakfast.
Friday Around 8.15 am
The leopard moves towards Parijat Building and enters the Tak family’s first-floor flat.
Friday 9.30–10.00 am
Forest department rescue teams reach the spot and begin search and containment operations.
Friday 2.18 pm
The leopard is successfully tranquilised and brought under control after a six-hour operation.
Leopard rescues in Mumbai, metropolitan region
Nov 2022 A leopard that entered a building in Chinchpada, Kalyan East, was rescued following a nine-hour operation after injuring
three people
Dec 2019 A leopard spotted inside SEEPZ, Andheri East, was trapped within three hours and released into SGNP
April 2019 A two-year-old leopard was rescued from Woodland Crest building in Marol
June 2018 A leopard was rescued from an abandoned factory in Marol
May 2018 A leopard entered a gymnasium at the SRPF camp near Aarey Milk Colony and was rescued
Jan 2018 Leopard strayed into Mulund East, injured five people and was later rescued
Dec 2017 A leopard was rescued from a kindergarten classroom in Andheri East
Nov 2016 A leopard was trapped inside an under-construction building in Powai
Dec 2012 Leopard rescued from ONGC Colony in Jogeshwari East near the Jogeshwari–Vikhroli Link Road
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