Leopard mauls boy taking shortcut through bushes

In another leopard attack, a 12-year-old boy was injured in the Aarey Milk Colony in Goregaon on Friday. Prakash Salunkhe was returning home from school when the big cat pounced on him from behind the bushes. A resident of Mataipada, Salunkhe sustained injuries on his neck and he has been admitted to the civic-run Bhagwati Hospital in Borivali.

This is the third leopard attack this month. “The boy was attacked when he was returning home with others,” said Rajesh Sanap, a volunteer with Mumbaikars for Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
The incident happened at Adarsh Nagar, Unit 25, inside the Aarey Milk Colony around 5.30pm. A similar incident had occurred in this area on January 27.

On Friday, Prakash took a shorter route home which is covered by bushes on both sides.
“The child is stable and recuperating at the moment,” said a police officer from the Aarey police station.

The Aarey Milk Colony residents alleged that though they have been complaining to the forest officials, the authorities have taken no concrete steps to check the menace.

Friday’s incident is the sixth this year. Two people have lost their lives.

Danger spots
Friday’s leopard attack on a 12-year-old boy is the third such this month and the sixth this year. A similar incident had taken place at the same spot in January this year.