Male leopard found dead in vacant building in Aarey Milk Colony, probe on

A fully grown male leopard was found dead on the ground floor of a vacant building near a forest patch in Aarey Milk Colony on Thursday. According to officials of the Thane Forest Department's territorial division, some labourers living nearby saw the leopard lying unconscious and alerted them. When a team reached the spot, the animal was already dead. Further investigation is under way to establish the cause of death.

At about 8 am, labourers working at a construction site saw the leopard lying near the door of the vacant building. To avoid a human-wildlife conflict, they kept their distance and informed the Aarey police station and the forest department. A team of volunteers who work on the conservation of leopards and other wildlife in Aarey also reached the spot. They included Imran Udat, Satish Lot, Raj Jadhav and Prasad Khandagale.

Forest department sources said the leopard had injury marks on its hind legs. A preliminary assessment suggests it may have fought over territory with another dominant male leopard in the area. However, the actual cause of death will be determined only after the post-mortem.

The dead leopard has been identified as S2025-M38. The male leopard was recorded in Aarey Milk Colony in 2025. It was photographed several times at different locations in Aarey, including the National Dairy Development Board and Unit 4 areas. It was last seen on a camera trap near Unit 15 in Aarey Milk Colony on September 11, 2026. The building where the body was found is vacant, but it is surrounded by containers and temporary dwellings in which contract labourers live.

Wildlife volunteer Imran Udat said the vacant building, which belongs to the Aarey administration, is near Unit 16, next to the Aarey hospital. According to him, a construction worker told them that they had swept outside the building in the morning and no animal was visible then. But when they returned between 8.30 and 9 am, they were shocked to see a large leopard lying near the door of a ground-floor flat. They immediately informed the authorities.

Santosh Dagle, Range Forest Officer of the Mumbai range of the Thane Forest Department (Territorial), said the leopard was reported by Sandeep Nathuji Sontakke and the Mumbai Police control room. A team of forest officials, veterinarian Dr Shailesh Pethe and local police personnel reached the spot. The leopard was not moving, and on close examination it was found to be dead. It was a male, and its age has been estimated at between four and six years. After an inspection of the site, the body was taken to Sanjay Gandhi National Park for a post-mortem. According to Dagle, further investigation and necessary action are under way under the guidance of Deputy Conservator of Forests Sachin Repal and Assistant Conservator of Forests (Thane) Sonal Valvi.