India GOAnimals in Pune
Indian giant squirrel
The state animal of Maharashtra, shekru. Bhimashankar, on the Ghat crest north-west of Pune, is the sanctuary most closely identified with it, and the easiest place from Pune to see one.
Ratufa indica
Indian hare
The hare in the moon, rather than a man in the moon, is the Indian reading of the lunar markings, and the story goes back to the Jataka tales.
Lepus nigricollis
Indian grey mongoose
The mongoose-and-cobra fight of Kipling's Rikki-Tikki-Tavi is real behaviour, though mongooses eat far more insects and eggs than snakes.
Urva edwardsii
Indian crested porcupine
Trail cameras set on Vetal Tekdi and the neighbouring hills inside Pune since 2025 have photographed crested porcupines, alongside jungle cats, palm civets and golden jackals.
Hystrix indica
Bengal monitor lizard
The goh appears in Maratha fort legend as the animal whose grip on a wall let climbers scale it; the story is folklore, but the lizard's claws really do hold rock.
Varanus bengalensis
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