Jamnagar: Ten leopards involved in man-animal conflicts in the Junnar forest division of Pune district, Maharashtra, have been relocated to the ‘Vantara’ animal shelter in Jamnagar.

Captured leopards are kept at the Manikdoh facility, but due to space constraints, the forest department sought to relocate these big cats to other centers in the state, which did not materialize. Later, the department contacted Vantara, which agreed to take the leopards.

The Central Zoo Authority in New Delhi approved the transfer of four female and six male leopards from the Manikdoh shelter home in Junnar taluka to Vantara, an animal shelter and rehabilitation center in Jamnagar.

As per to information provided by the Junnar forest department, a team of 25 individuals from the Vantara Jamnagar Zoo, including a zoo manager, a veterinary officer, and 23 management team members, arrived in Junnar with three large ambulances on July 31. The ambulances were equipped with hydraulic lift technology, facilitating the smooth transfer of the leopards. Two of the ambulances transported five leopards each, while the third served as a backup. Additionally, a breakdown vehicle was dispatched along with the ambulances to address any emergency situations.

The ten leopards were expected to arrive in Jamnagar by the night of August 1.

Vantara, spanning 3,000 acres of land, was established by Anant Ambani, a director at Reliance Industries Limited and Reliance Foundation. It houses over 2,000 rescued animals from across the country. DeshGujarat