Vadodara: The man-eater leopard of Dhanpur in Dahod district will have to spend rest of its life in Dhobikuva near Pavagadh.The rescue centre in Dhobikuva is the only facility in the state where such leopards are kept and taken care of for the remaining part of their lives. The only other facility in the state where leopards that come into human conflict are kept is located at Sakkarbaug in Junagadh.The Dhobikuva facility has eight enclosures and is packed to its capacity presently. It has eight leopards from central as well as distant areas in south Gujarat.Of the eight leopards, four are known to have attacked humans. Amongst the other four, two had strayed into residential areas and could not have survived on their own while two others were cubs who had fallen into wells. The cubs were deserted by their mothers who were not able to rescue them.The oldest inmates at the rescue centre are from the Mandvi taluka in Surat district and Uchhal taluka Tapi district. They were named ‘Julie’ and ‘Shaila’ and have been kept at the rescue centre since they were trapped in 2010. Sources said that the leopards are brought here only after the officials at the place where the leopard attacks take place ascertain that it was the animal being brought to the rescue centre that was responsible for the incidents.District conservator of forests (Godhra) Anshuman Sharma said that once brought here, the leopards are kept in isolation for 10 to 15 days or till they mellow down. The human interaction or even visibility of humans to the animals is minimal. “Any contact except that for giving food is avoided,” he said.The leopards cannot be given to zoos as well because most zoos have them in good numbers unlike lions or tigers. If a zoo needs them, they can be given to it after following necessary procedures.

Stay updated with all the Latest Vadodara headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.