Leopard sightings in India have caused panic among residents, with these encounters only getting more common.

What’s happening?

In the Pardi area of Nagpur, residents reported seeing a leopard near a construction roadway during the day. According to The Live Nagpur, a video on social media showed the large cat under a nullah, or riverbed, before the predator fled from the crowds.

A team from the Transit Treatment Center, responsible for responding to these sightings, rushed to Pardi after receiving calls about the sighting. "By the time our team reached, the animal had disappeared," said Kundan Hate, head of the Transit Treatment Center in Seminary Hills, adding that patrols would continue day and night.

But just a day later, on Dec. 10, presumably the same leopard injured seven people. A team from the forest department and wildlife treatment center quickly found the leopard, tranquilized and rescued it, according to Mid-Day

This is the second incident in less than a month in the area, following the rescue of another leopard from a house in November.

Why is this behavior concerning?

Incidents of human-wildlife encounters are becoming more common as habitat destruction and resource shortages for animals force them into closer contact with human development. Rising global temperatures, expanding tourism, and human activities have destroyed once-reliable habitats and sources of food for animals like leopards, mountain lions, and bears, which need large ranges of land to survive. Now, many are turning to suburbs and cities as the few spots for food they have left.

Regardless of the causes of these interactions, they are inherently dangerous, as animals — especially predators — in cities and out of their normal environment are forced to adapt and are often desperate in the chaos of a city, from Los Angeles to Mumbai. This often causes them to attack when threatened or turn to small animals and trash for food.

Concerningly, fake AI videos of leopards have caused panic from universities to neighborhoods to hotels, making the threat seem larger than it already is.

What’s being done about these conditions?

Hate and other officials are urging local residents to avoid going out alone after dark and to call the forest helpline immediately if they spot a leopard. Forest officials are patrolling areas of multiple recent sightings, but have not found any fresh leopard signs.

With increasing sightings of leopards in cities, Maharashtra Forest minister Ganesh Naik suggested that forest officials release goats in large numbers in forest areas to prevent leopards from straying into human settlements in search of prey.

Restoring natural habitats, funding wild animal sanctuaries, and talking about these critical climate issues with friends and family can go a long way in rebalancing the equation for these desperate predators.

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