6 days Ago
Pune: A four-year-old boy was killed in a leopard attack in Mandvagan Farata village on Friday evening in Shirur tehsil, about 70 km from the city. According to the forest officials, the incident occurred around 6.30 pm when the boy was playing in the open area in front of his house.
The village is known for its vast sugar cane plantations and is part of the Bhima river basin belt. "A leopard came from a neighbouring sugar cane farm and attacked the boy, who was playing outside the house. He was dragged for about 400 meters inside the field.
His grandfather made some noise to startle the animal. The villagers and the boy's parents chased the animal, which abandoned the boy and scampered away. His body was later found in the filed with multiple injuries in the neck and in other places," said Amol Satpute, deputy conservator of forest, Junnar division.
"We have set up 22 trap cages and 10 trap cameras. Two drones are being used to locate the animal in the village. We have urged senior citizens and children not to venture out after dark.
It is a safety measure to prevent leopard attacks," added Satpute. The density of leopards in the Junnar division is the highest in the country, and five people have died in the last few months in feline attacks, said the forest officials. "Areas or villages located on Bhima, Ghod, and Kukadi rivers are surrounded by hundreds of acres of sugar cane farms.
These plantations have become safe homes for leopards over the years. As a result, we find them in large numbers. Several farmers have constructed houses on the farms, and hence attacks usually take place near the houses," said Smita Rajhans, assistant conservator of forest.
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