India, Dec. 11 -- In an unusual attempt to reduce rising leopard attacks and prevent the big cats from straying into villages, Maharashtra forest minister Ganesh Naik on Tuesday said that the department plans to release tagged goats inside forest stretches to serve as an alternative prey base for leopards. The proposal, which includes a budget of Rs.1 crore per district, is awaiting formal approval but goats have "reportedly already been released in some parts of Pune district", Naik told the media in Nagpur on Tuesday.

Naik urged villagers not to harm the tagged goats, emphasising that the animals are being released specifically to keep leopards away from human settlements. The idea-suggested by some retired forest officials-is intended...