Leopard trapped in Thane village, third case in a year

THANE: An eight-year-old leopard that created fear in the adivasi pada of Kasara’s Vihigaon village was caught from a paddy field on Sunday. This is the third such incident in a year in the village that hadn’t had any leopard sighting in two decades.
The leopard was caught after an overnight trap was set up by forest officials and wildlife activists. It is being treated for old wounds at Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
The 160 families of the area were living in fear as the leopard had entered an open hut, killed two buffalo calves and charged towards villagers, before fleeing.
“The locals had never seen such incidents, so three cases within a year has left them frightened. They are worried their children will be the next target. I have asked the forest department to post a rescue team here,” said Pandurang Barora, the local MLA.
Wildlife activists and forest officials claim these leopards are not from the region and suspect they have been released here.
MP Baghrao, range forest officer, said, “These attacks came as a surprise. The area mostly comprises paddy fields and the forest cover on the other side of Kasara hardly has any prey for wild cats.”
Dr Manish Pingle, the vet treating the wild cat, said, “The leopards rescued in October last year and this week suffered from inertia and dehydration. This could be because of lack of prey. It will be released in eight to 10 days after NGOs find their territories. We are placing a microchip in its tail so that it can be tracked.”