Pune: “To get collared” is not a very pleasant term, particularly when it comes to humans.
But villagers in the Pune district of Maharashtra don’t seem to mind. They have started wearing special collars to protect themselves from leopard attacks.
While most are using spiked collars made of engineering plastic that are issued by the forest department, some are wearing metal spike collars. Experts believe that the metal collars are harmful.
The Pune district – known for its sugarcane plantations – is prone to human-leopard conflicts. Sugarcane plantations are located on the peripheries of forests and leopards are known to seek shelter in the dense cover the crop offers, particularly when they have cubs.
Several cases of leopard attacks have been reported this year. These attacks take place during the sugarcane harvesting season that coincides with the time when leopards have cubs.
While attacking, leopards generally go for the neck region, hence these collars.
However, a recent video, showing a man and a woman working in a field with a metal spike collars around their necks has given rise to concerns. The forest department clarified that it has not distributed any metal spike collars. Instead, it has provided protective collars made of engineering plastic spikes, which are designed to be safer, officials said.
Mid-Day has quoted Neha Panchamia, founder and president of RESQ as saying: “It’s understandable that fear and misinformation can push people to take extreme measures. But metal collars with sharp spikes pose serious risks — they can injure the person wearing them, cause infections, or even provoke an aggressive response from a leopard. The forest department’s plastic spike collars are a science-based, humane deterrent meant to protect both people and animals. The focus should be on awareness, proper use of deterrents, and preventing encounters — not fear-driven actions.”
Kedar Gore of The Corbett Foundation said that such measures are unlikely to be a long-term solution.
“People won’t wear them all the time. The best way forward is to avoid going out during dawn, dusk, and night hours; not venture alone in areas known for leopard presence; improve lighting; use toilets instead of open defecation; carry high-beam torches or sticks for safety; and ensure increased forest patrols. Complacency is dangerous — staying alert is essential.”
To reduce human casualties in Junnar on the Pune district, the forest department had started distributing spike collars made of engineering plastic. So far, around 3,300 protective collars made of engineering plastic have been distributed to farmers.
