India, May 4 -- Leopards from source areas such as Junnar, Khed, Shirur, and Ambegaon tehsils now appear to be dispersing towards the southern and southeastern parts of Junnar, entering new territories and leading to a rise in human-leopard conflicts, said forest officials noting that attacks by big cats are on the rise. Recent incidents reported from Shirur, Daund, Lohegaon, and even Solapur district have once again underlined the shift. Officials said there is now hardly any entry point left in Pune district where leopard presence has not been recorded in recent years.

In the last two weeks alone, three serious conflict incidents involving the big cat have been reported in Pune district. An 82-year-old woman was killed in Shirur tehsil...