Apprehension and fear is writ large on the faces of local residents and people working at Film City, Goregaon - including officials, actors and the general public - as they tread on dangerous grounds in the area. A recent spate of leopard attacks, including the death of a child, has caused panic and brought outdoor shooting in some locations at a complete standstill. The Maharashtra Forest Department has ordered that shooting at these outdoor locations must be halted for eight days (until August 6) until the leopard, which they believe is responsible behind the attack of five children, is trapped. “Kal bhi barah se do baje tak, leopards gate number one ke paas dikhe,“ reveals security guard Chavan at the premises. The red alert is clearly on here and while the decision has affected shooting schedules, officials say this can not be helped.

5 ATTACKS IN THE LAST 5 MONTHS
Last Friday, local resident Aniket Dileep Page (12) was attacked by a leopard near the Aarey pump house at Film City in the evening; it was the fifth incident of a leopard attack in the the past five months. The forest department set up two cages at a radius of 5 km from the site of attacks - near Film City and the Aarey helipad - with the aim to trap the leopard. Reports state that another cage trap will be installed soon. Says Kolekar, “The forest department is on high alert. In fact, the animal was almost caught when he came close to a cage, but sounds from a vehicle nearby drove it away. We are doing our best to assist efforts to trap it. We also conduct regular patrol besides handing out posters to public.“

EYEWITNESS SPEAKS... 'I SAW A LEOPARD CROSSING IN FRONT OF ME': JAYA BHATTACHARYA
The gruesome attacks prompted TV actress Jaya Bhattacharya put out a warning on Facebook. She recalls earlier incidents: “One day, during a shoot of the film Hindustan Ki Kasam, the production people dropped me to the Film City gate after pack-up. I then saw a leopard crossing the road in front of me. I was in the car, but I won't forget the sight of it. The production person was scared to return by auto. In another incident, a leopard picked up a puppy from our sets in front of so many people. We also once saw a leopard relaxing on the ground that is today the set of a TV show. Last year, a child was picked up by a leopard from behind the Aarey side, Gate no 7. We have also heard of an incident, where a guy was talking on the phone on a film set and the animal came from the bushes and took him away. So, leopards have always been there in Film City. In fact, that is their territory and it is we who have encroached there. I would like to tell everyone to please be careful when moving around. Walk in groups, carry torches so that you can see what is nearby. Small kids are easy targets and can fall prey to these wild animals. Remember, this is the jungle, so do not take offbeat, secluded paths here,“ she cautions.

Dilip Joshi aka Jethalal, who is at present shooting for Taarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chashma in Film City, is worried. “We do have an outdoor set, but currently we are shooting indoors,“ he says, adding, “I have heard many stories of a leopard being spotted on other sets. It is scary as it gets very dark towards sundown. I am being extra careful as there are not enough street lights here near the parking area.“

KEY LOCATIONS THAT ARE MORE DENSE HAVE BEEN CORDONED OFF
The film studio complex of Film City is located on the south side of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), which reportedly has a leopard population of 20; the big cats are known to stray into Aarey Milk Colony as well, in search of prey. This has left the officials with no choice but to earmark and close a few sites that are more dense and have a greater chance of leopards straying into them. Mangesh K Raul, assistant manager, studios, at Film City, informs, “Around 10-11 locations are now shut - this includes Bapu Nagar, the temple road, the route towards the helipad, the hill view area, lake downwards, the garden near the lake as well as the reserve garden, Khandala Ghat, the temple maidan and a few more.“ Giving details on the effect on shootings, he reveals, “These locations were used to shoot Bollywood and Marathi films and TV series. The location closure will be till August 6, but if the animal is not trapped by then, it may have to be extended. The call will be taken by forest officials.“

Adds Chandrakant Kolekar, engineer and Film City officer, “We are just adhering to the directions by the forest department. Considering the recent attacks (the last one was on Saturday), it was high-risk situation to keep locations that were remote and in the jungle, open. There is a loss, but we cannot calculate and ascertain how much. As of now, the shooting is closed until Sunday. After a meeting, it will be decided what is to be done next.“

ACTIVISTS SPEAK...'THE ANSWER DOES NOT LIE IN TRAPPING AND RELOCATING THE LEOPARDS AS THEY HAVE A HOMING INSTINCT AND RETURN'
Activists believe that the solution to trap and relocate the animals elsewhere does not work for leopards. Explains Jalpesh Mehta, city-based environmental activist, “There are 35 leopards in SGNP and around nine in Aarey Forest. They move across Aarey and SGNP through Film City and Filterpada encompassing Aarey, IIT Powai to seek easy prey like dogs, pigs, hens and more. The tribals living there since ages know how to coexist with big cats, but it is different for others. We have in the past, along with the forest department, tried to trap these animals and release them far off. But the big cats including lions, leopards and tigers can travel back kilometers to their original destination and on their way they can cause a lot of conflict. So, trapping and relocating is not the solution.“

Affirms ecologist Anand Pendharkar, “You can trap a leopard here and leave it far away, but it will return as the animal has a strong homing instinct. The other danger is that when one territory gets emptied, another leopard comes into its place. These are transient leopards, who are waiting in the fringes to come into the territory.

Film-maker Ashwin Nagpal pegs it down to an increasing loss of green space. “They are converting the Film City area, which is a green zone and almost a part of SGNP into an industrial zone. This means shrinking habitat for leopards and the possibility of more leopard attacks on the fringes of the park,“ he warns.

WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?
It's not a direct one. Says Jalpesh, “The only solution is to co-exist with the wild and in the long run work on removing encroachment. It is humans who have entered the homes of the leopards and not vice-versa.“ Anand adds, “What movie and TV crews and others at Film City can do is to make sure they do not litter the place, especially with food as this attracts dogs, which in turn attract leopards who prey on them. Also, try and cordon off the area and have stronger lighting and fences.“