‘Stones pelted at leopard led to attack in Chiplun’
MUMBAI: An incident involving an injured sub-adult leopard and villages in Chiplun, Ratnagiri, has brought to the fore the escalating issue of wildlife habitat destruction and human-animal conflict for the first time in this region.
On Tuesday, one person sustained serious injuries while three others escaped with minor wounds at a region between Gane and Khadpoli villages in Chiplun in an area under the jurisdiction of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), officials from the forest department said.
Meanwhile, pictures of the incident purported to have taken place in Aarey Colony, Goregaon, were circulated on social media groups on Friday. But follow-up messages from animal welfare groups confirmed it as a rumour.
“The incident took place on early Tuesday morning but we were informed only by 11am,” said VK Surve, divisional forest officer, Ratnagiri. “Villagers from this area use wires to trap wild boars regularly without our permission, and had set up a similar trapping mechanism on Tuesday where the leopard’s left paw was caught. Within seconds, people gathered in this area and began creating panic, and to safeguard themselves, they began climbing trees,” he said.
Surve said the site is close to protected forest areas and marks one end of the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR). “The injured leopard was spotted on a tar road growling at the crowd around him while the latter began pelting stones at the leopard. In the heat of the moment, the leopard escaped the wire trap. The animal scratched three people and dug his nails, teeth in another person.”
A four-member team from Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), Borivli, along with 25 forest staff from Chiplun were called in later on Tuesday to rescue the leopard and curtail future attacks. However, the leopard was not spotted till Friday, the SGNP team returned and the warning was called off.
The sarpanch of Gane village told HT that there had been cattle kills in the region over the past two years but the leopard never hurt humans. “We have warned residents to avoid moving alone during the night and keep an eye on their children,” said Nivruti Gajmal, 38, sarpanch.
Tushar Shinde, resident of Khadpoli village, said, “A number of new industries, including a state highway, and large-scale deforestation in this area are slowly changing the landscape.”.