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Journalism of Courage
A leopard was spotted in a forest area near Xrbia society in Hinjewadi on Wednesday. After receiving information, a team from the state forest department visited the area to “create awareness” among residents.
Meanwhile, a video of the leopard roaming in the forest near Xrbia society, located in the vicinity of IT Park in Hinjewadi, went viral on social media.
Concerned citizens called forest department officials, asking them to install a cage in the area to trap the leopard.
Pratap Jagtap, range forest officer (Paud) said, “We received information from people about the leopard being spotted near Xrbia society in Hinjewadi. It is a forest area, and leopards have been spotted in the past. Our team went to the area to create awareness among the citizens. We informed the people about the dos and don’ts to prevent any man-animal conflict.”
“People have demanded a cage to capture the leopard, but it is not possible to put it in forest land. If the leopard enters private property, then a cage can be placed… At this stage, we are focusing on awareness among citizens not just in Hinjewadi, but at other locations too. We are informing people about preventive measures to be taken to co-exist safely alongside leopards,” said Jagtap.
On Wednesday evening, a farmer, Sitaram Doke, was injured after he was attacked by a leopard that pounced on him while he was on his two-wheeler travelling on a road in Otur village in Junnar taluka, Pune district.
As seen in a video, the leopard first hides in roadside bushes before jumping on the two-wheeler. Doke lost control and the two-wheeler skidded on the road, leaving him injured. The rider was admitted to a hospital in Alephata for treatment.
Forest officials said there has been a significant rise in the population of leopards in Junnar region in Pune district. Due to it, some leopards have migrated from “high density” areas in Junnar to “low density” areas in the district, including Bhor, Rajgad and Mulshi talukas too.
Earlier this month, there was massive public outrage over three deaths, including those of two children, in leopard attack incidentsin Shirur taluka that led to arson and a highway blockade.
A suspected maneating leopard was shot dead in a late night operation by the Forest Department and a rescue team in Shirur taluka on November 4. A few more leopards were captured in cages installed in the region.
