If the leopard creating havoc in people’s houses was not enough, the Maharashtra Legislature was shocked to witness a strange incident on Wednesday when a ‘leopard’ strayed into hallowed floor of the Lower House in the afternoon. Sharad Sonone, MLA, Shiv Sena (Shinde), representing Shirur Assembly segment, entered in the House dressed as a leopard. Tying to grab the spotlight against the backdrop of leopard straying into human settlements in Nagpur, Sonone wanted to highlight the pressing issue. Sonone, on Tuesday, itself had raised the issue of rising threat from a leopard straying into human settlements and sought immediate measures from the Government. The people in his constituency in Pune district are worst-hit due to increased population of leopards and their movement in residential colonies leading to human casualties.

 

People have stopped venturing in their farms due to fear of leopard. Such incidents have also affected the farmers, he added. To highlight the issue again, Sonone stepped into the House dressed as leopard, leading to Members shouting to the Chair that the animal has strayed and it should be trapped and moved out of the House. Seven victims named Laleshwari Shahu (40), Chandan Shahu (37), Kumbhakaran Nishad (55), Ramesh Shahu (28), Khushi Shahu (05), Kuvasram Dhekwad (57), and Bharti Shahu (24) are admitted in nearby Bhavani Hospital for further treatment. Out of seven victims, three are serious and four sustained minor injuries. According to Forest officials, the big cat entered the residential area during the early hours in search of prey. After dawn, the leopard reportedly took shelter on the roof of a house. After getting information, a team from Transit Treatment Centre (TTC), Seminary Hills rushed to the spot and started rescue operation.

 

The team faced tough time as the leopard was jumping from one roof to another. Meanwhile, the rescue team tranquillised the big cat to control it. During this rescue, it had already attacked seven persons. As per the information, the leopard was spotted by some residents in Shiv Nagar Tuesday late night. Whereas, on Wednesday morning, when everyone were busy in their daily chores, the leopard was suddenly spotted by some residents who panicked. In the meantime, the leopard attacked the residents and injured seven among them. The incident of leopard attack spread in the vicinity like a wild fire and people started gathering near the spot. Realising that it was surrounded by a crowd, the leopard started jumping from one roof to another. Rescue team from the TTC struggled to dart the leopard as it was continuously moving from one place to another. However, after a long chase, the team got success to control the leopard. Immediately, the leopard was shifted to TTC in Seminary Hills for further medical treatment. This is the second such rescue in the same vicinity, raising questions over frequent leopard sightings within city limits and possible gaps in peripheral monitoring. Local police assisted in crowd control, while the Forest Department continues to assess the movement of big cats around densely populated areas. Officials predict that the animal may have strayed from nearby forest patches during the night while hunting for prey. 

 

 

 

Forest Minister Ganesh Naik, on Wednesday, paid a visit to Bhavani Hospital where all the leopard attack victims were under treatment. Naik interacted with all the seven victims and assured them of help from the Government. He also directed doctors and Forest Department senior officials to provide full medical help to the victims. Naik also directed the Forest Department to prepare a report of the incident and asked to find out a solution for such frequent incidents. Krishna Khopde, MLA, East Nagpur was also present during the visit. 

 

 

“The Bhandewadi dumping yard is the main culprit behind frequent leopard sighting in Pardi and nearby areas. Even, 5-7 leopards are likely residing close to the dumping yard as they are getting easy prey base,” claimed Dr Vinita Vyas, Deputy Conservator of Forest, Territorial while interacting with ‘The Hitavada’. “Haphazard dumping of carcasses of dogs, cows, pigs, etc. in the dumping yard are an easy source of food for leopards. However, large number of stray dogs are also the reason behind attracting more leopards in the vicinity,” said Dr Vyas. “As per the instructions of the Forest Minister, we are preparing a report on this incident. The proposal for shifting of the dumping yard will also be included in the report by us,” said the DCF. The senior Forest officer also informed that the victims of the leopard attack will get compensation and for this, we asked the hospital management to submit the medical report of all victims.