A team of the Forest Department rescued a four to five-year-old leopard with great difficulty in the Shivram Nagar area of Pimpalgaon Khamb on Saturday, October 4. The leopard had attacked a cow shed on Friday and dragged it to a nearby sugarcane field, where it had returned to hunt again.
In this incident, the leopard, which entered the cow shed of Popat Kachru Jadhav, attacked a cow and dragged it to the sugarcane field of Somnath Borade. As soon as the information about the incident was received, the Forest Department was informed with the help of local citizens and representatives.
At 3 pm, a rescue team led by Forest Department Chief Officers Sumit Nirmal and Anil Ahirrao reached the spot. During the investigation, the remains of a partially eaten cow were found in the sugarcane field. Anticipating that the leopard would come back for hunting, a cage was placed near the settlement. Dr Hemraj and Vaibhav Bhogle were deployed in a cage covered with leaves and grass at 4 pm.
After keeping the area quiet, the leopard again came near the pada around 7:30 to 8 pm. At that time, Dr Hemraj administered medicine, and the leopard was tranquillised. After running a short distance, the leopard became unconscious. The rescue team immediately put it in a cage and admitted it to the nursery centre in Mhasrul for treatment. After examination, it was clear that the leopard was completely healthy.
Earlier, a leopard that attacked a two-year-old boy at the Artillery Centre was caught in a similar way. Taking advantage of that experience, the forest department successfully carried out this operation. The leopard or anyone was not harmed in the entire operation, said forest officials.
There was an atmosphere of fear among farmers and citizens due to the movements of the leopards in this area. The locals cooperated with the forest department, which made this operation possible.
Servants like Jagdish Pawar, former corporator Keshav Porje, Vikram Kothule, Uttamrao Jadhav, Somnath Jadhav and Amit Jadhav also helped. The forest department has appealed to the citizens to be vigilant, and further precautions are being planned in the Pimpalgaon Khamb area.
