India, May 24 -- A worrying surge in the human-leopard conflict in the Junnar region of Pune district has been attributed largely to the public's disregard for safety advisories issued by forest officials. As per data shared by the Junnar forest department, at least 50 individuals have sustained injuries from leopard attacks in the past five years. While the number of such incidents remained in single digits till 2022, it rose to double digits in 2022 and 2023 before falling again in 2024. This year itself, four injuries have been reported so far.

According to forest officials, nearly 90% of these incidents have resulted from non-compliance with safety guidelines such as venturing alone at dawn or dusk, leaving children unattended near s...