Pune News: Leopard Attacks Surge, Farmers Turn to Spiked Neck Bands for Protection

The rising leopard attacks news has created a trail of fear in rural India, especially in the Pune district of Maharashtra. People residing in villages like Pimparkhed village, approximately 40 km away from Shirur and around 75 km away from Pune city, are involved in farm and dairy-related activities. The area is largely dominated by sugarcane fields, leaving it more vulnerable to leopard encounters. The state of terror prevails as leopard-human conflicts have been escalated in Junnar, Ambegaon, Shirur, and Khed tehsils of the Pune district. 

As per reports, in the last 30 days, three fatal incidents have been reported. As a result, residents of Shirur tehsil’s Pimparkhed village have begun vouching for effective leopard attack protection methods, including wearing spiked collars around their necks to protect themselves, just as they do for cattle. 

The spiked collars are developed at the Centre of Excellence, Vidya Pratishthan in Baramati by Sunil Chore, chairman and managing director, Simusoft Technologies. Featuring a C-shaped plastic band, it is five millimetres thick and fitted with 40-millimetre-long spikes. The bands are accentuated with small metallic bells (ghungroo) whose sound may scare the leopard away. Considering farmers’ safety from leopard attacks, this measure was initially introduced in October 2024 by the Junnar forest division.

Why Are Farmers Wearing Spiked Neck Bands Around Their Necks? 

Credits: Pexels

According to Forest Department Officials, “Leopards are known to attack the neck of their prey. Being very fast, they are not most of the time used in endurance-based fights. Many times when people work on farms, they bend down or sit down for work. It’s a dangerous situation, as leopards tend to attack things below their eye level. It includes children, livestock, and people seated or bent down.” 

Having said that, the plastic collar might be used as a wildlife-conflict solution by the residents. Once the leopard’s first strike goes in vain, he realizes the real stature of the person it is attacking, and then he may back off. In most cases, a leopard bites down on a neck and kills it. Therefore, farmers are spotted wearing spiked neck bands around their necks not only to protect themselves but also to injure the wildlife animals in some way. According to assistant conservator Smita Rajhans, these bands have proved useful in many instances and are considered an effective safety measure.