Pune: A wave of fear has gripped farmers and residents of the Otur village in Junnar Tehsil of Pune District due to the daytime movement of a leopard. The incident occurred on Tuesday (February 24) around 9:00 AM, when a leopard was seen roaming freely through wheat and onion crops on the farm of Sandeep Baban Gadhave.
Local farmer Deepak Gadhave provided details regarding the sighting. He said that on Tuesday morning, farmers working in the fields suddenly spotted the leopard. Acting quickly, some farmers maintained a safe distance and captured video footage of the animal on their mobile phones.
This video has since gone viral across the region through Facebook and WhatsApp groups. This has resulted in intensifying the sense of terror among villagers. The Gadhave-Pat area of Otur Village is densely populated.
With leopards now appearing near residential settlements even during the day, farmers are terrified to enter their fields. Concerns are specifically being raised regarding the safety of small children and livestock.
Locals believe that the presence of dense sugarcane, wheat, and onion cultivation in the area has created ideal hiding conditions for wild animals. Citizens are demanding that the Maharashtra Forest Department take immediate note of the incident, conduct a survey of the area, set up a cage to capture the leopard, and provide safety instructions to the villagers.
Meanwhile, the Forest Department is appealing to villagers not to go to the fields alone, to keep small children indoors, and to exercise special caution during the night.
