Leopard cubs' death: Forest dept asks MSEDCL to install short

Death of three leopard cubs in a short circuit-triggered fire in a sugarcane field in the district has pitted state Forest department against MSEDCL, a PSU controlled by the Maharashtra government.
In a letter addressed to the MSEDCL, the forest department has requested them to protect the overhead power cables with short-circuit guards to avoid any such incident in future, a senior official said today.
The department has also said that they will register cases against MSEDCL if a similar incident happens in future.
Three cubs were found charred to death in the sugarcane field in a village in Junnar tehsil on February 3.

Forest officials suspected that the sugarcane caught fire after an overhead electricity cable snapped due to a short circuit and fell on sugarcane.
"The department also told the power distribution company that farmers, who bear losses due to the fire, will also be asked to file cases against the power utility company," said Arjun Mhase, Deputy Conservator of Forest, Junnar Division.

Citing investigation into the Junnar incident, he said overhead power cables were not protected with the short circuit guards.
Mhase said forest department has asked the MSEDCL to install the necessary short-circuit guards to avert recurrence of such incident.

"We have warned them that if a similar incident happens in future, forest department will file cases against them (MSEDCL) for posing danger to wildlife and will also ask farmers to file similar cases as they too are bearing losses due to fire," Mhase added.
He said animals have an equal right to co-exist with the humans.
"After the Junnar incident, people from the village had come to the forest officials asking them to take away leopards from the area, but it is humans who have actually encroached on the territory of leopards," the officer said.
Mhase urged that humans should also take care to avoid conflicts with animals.

"The female leopard comes to the village side to protect her cubs from the male leopard. It stays in the area during the night as the animal is nocturnal. So we always urge people not work during night or venture outside so that the conflict can be avoided," he said.
Dr Ajay Deshmukh, senior veterinary officer and in-charge at the Wildlife SOS' Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre in Junnar, said sugarcane fields are a preferred place for leopards.
"To avoid human-animal conflict, we have been carrying out awareness programmes in villages in Junnar tehsil by distributing pamphlets about how to take safety precautions during night," Deshmukh said, adding a film has been made in English, Marathi, and Hindi languages to spread awareness about the co-existence and how to avoid a conflict with wild animals.

Shiv Sena MP from Shirur, Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil, recently submitted a proposal to the state government to encourage the co-existence of humans and leopards.
"Junnar, Ambegaon, Khed and Shirur tehsils are leopard-prone regions and leopards generally take shelters in sugarcane fields. After giving birth to cubs, the felines prefer to stay in farms to avoid going towards jungles...this is where the human-animal conflict arises," he said today.
Patil said he had demanded that the government should give Rs 25,000 compensation to the affected farmers.
According to Wildlife SOS' website, Maharashtra has seen a dramatic increase in man-animal conflicts in the last few years, predominantly problems relating to leopards that have ventured into sugarcane fields and human habitation.