ONE PERSON was killed in a leopard attack at Arjuni village in Warora tahsil on Friday. The deceased, Tarabai Shrirame (48), was attacked by a leopard around noon when she was busy plucking cotton in a farm. While Shrirame was the third leopard victim from the village, this is the fifth such attack in the surrounding areas in the last 42 days. Besides Arjuni, the two other attacks took place at Ramdegi in the neighbouring Chimur tahsil. Officials said that Arjuni and Ramdegi only being about three kilometres apart aerially, there are chances that all the five fell prey to the same animal. An eight-year old boy was also injured in a leopard attack at Arjuni last month. “We have pugmarks and camera trap pictures of the animal. It appears to be the same at both the villages. Our staff says it’s a female. We have laid cages to tap it,” said N R Pravin, the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) field director. With successive attacks angering villagers, Pravin said: “The situation is worrisome.” Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) A K Mishra said, “I have issued a capture order for the animal and our staff is doing everything possible to catch it.” Asked if the situation warrants shoot order, he said: “Shooting is not warranted merely due to the number of victims but depends on circumstances under which the attacks have taken place. Like, when and where it happen, whether the attacks happened inside forest or farms, etc.”
