A 40-year-old man and his nephew narrowly escaped an encounter with a leopard on Saturday, while on their way back home from the farm, at Chass village of Sinnar tehsil. It's the latest in a series of such incidents that has heightened concern in the region, and renewed the demand by villagers for stricter vigilance.
Vilas Khairnar and Ganesh, 18, were returning from their pomegranate farm on a motorcycle, when a leopard cub strayed onto the muddy track they were riding along. Vilas blew the horn in the hope that the cub would get out of the way, but it panicked and raced ahead.
As Vilas considered stopping the vehicle to allow the cub to go its way, they heard a disturbing growl and as they turned around they spotted a leopard closing in on them. They couldn't afford to stop and instead stepped on the accelerator.
Luckily for the two, the cub turned into the sugarcane fields along the path and as they turned back they saw the leopard followed after the cub too.
As they recovered from their experience in the safety of their home, a cousin came dashing into the house, panting and sweating after spotting a leopard. "The leopard was about 100 metres away, but it could have chased me down," said Ramdas Khairnar.
Last month, a group of children who had taken their sheep grazing in the foothills near the Aundha fort, were atacked by a big cat. The sheep had strayed some way off and Maruti Kunde had gone after them.
"There was some movement in the bushes and in a flash a leopard jumped out. I moved away in time, but its paw brushed the back of my head," the boy recalled.
As the flock scattered, most of the children who noticed what had happened fled from the place. Only Vinod Karwande, 15, stayed back.
As the leopard got set to attack again, Vinod kicked the animal in the stomach. As the animal went weak for a moment, he picked up a stone and hurled it at the cat, and fortunately for them the animal slipped away.
Maruti was treated in the local hospital and has since recovered. Such incidents happen regularly in the region, which is a natural habitat for leopards. This has led villagers to demand the installation of cages to trap the animals.
Anita Patil, conservator of forests, says this is a complex issue that requires action at various levels. "The cane fields are a natural cover for the leopards. They feed on small prey like dogs, cats, rats. Human beings have moved closer to the fields, building houses and cattle sheds in the farms," Patil explained.
She said there was no fixed pattern to the movement of the animals. So there was a need to build up awareness about forest management. "It requires long-term measure like habitat improvement, to stop the man-animal conflict getting worse," Patil said.
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