Mom fights leopard, saves child

MUMBAI: A seven-year-old girl survived a leopard attack on December 13 in the Yeoor range of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) owing to her mother’s valiant fight back. The incident represents the first leopard attack in the past one year.

Pratiksha Kambdi, a resident of Behndipada, had gone to relieve herself at around 7:00 pm in an area which is home to some 20 leopards. Pratiksha had been accompanied by her mother Dhrupada. When Pratiksha sat down, a leopard hiding nearby pounced on her. But Dhrupada’s counterattack apparently stunned the animal which fled away. Pratiksha is said to be out of danger.

SGNP’s field director, PN Munde, has confirmed the attack. “This is the first leopard attack since the past year. Awareness camps organised by the forest department last year have been fruitful because no leopard attack was reported.” Illegal settlements inside the park have set the stage for the human-animal conflict. Earlier, there were around 65,000 illegal settlements in the park, out of which around 55,000 have been removed.