Following the fourth leopard attack within two months, the Junnar Forest Division has issued a red alert for 13 villages near the village.
These villages include Gayamukhwadi, Jambhulpad, Navalewadi, Pimpri Pendhar, Umbraj-1 and 2, Pimpalwadi, Yedgaon, Vaishakhkhede, Chalkawadi, Bhatkalwadi, Nagadwadi, and Kandali. The forest department has urged villagers to exercise caution. Residents are advised not to venture outdoors before 9am and after 5pm as a precautionary measure. They have advised residents to travel in groups rather than alone when venturing into fields.
It's recommended to carry a stick and periodically make loud noises by bursting crackers as a deterrent measure. Additionally, residents are cautioned against leaving small children and elderly individuals unattended in farm outskirts and are urged not to sleep in open areas outside the house.
Third attack within a month
Forest officials reported the third fatal leopard attack in the Junnar forest region of Pune within a month, as a 60-year-old woman farmer lost her life in the Pimpri Pendhar area in Junnar on May 10. The deceased has been identified as Nanubai Sitaram Kadale (50). She was working in her bajra farm when she was fatally attacked by a leopard around 8am.
Before that, two individuals have lost their lives, and a woman has sustained severe injuries following a sudden leopard attack within the forest area of Junnar.
In response to the escalating threat, the Junnar Forest Division has taken proactive measures, installing 30 cages and deploying 20 trap cameras to capture leopards in the vicinity. The area is under constant surveillance via drone cameras, and 50 forest employees are actively engaged in spreading awareness among local communities.
Upon receiving reports of incidents, officials from the Junnar Forest Division, in collaboration with the Manikdoh Rescue Team, promptly mobilise to the affected areas to take necessary action.
Attacks in last two months
May 8: Rudra Mahesh Fatale (8) was fatally attacked by a leopard while playing in Kolwadi, Junnar.
April 11: Sanskruti Kuelkar (1.5 years old) killed in a leopard attack in Shiroli Khurd, Junnar.
March 11: Previous fatal attack reported.
