MUMBAI: Fear returned to haunt people living inside and around Tansa wildlife sanctuary in Thane district where a 12-year-old boy from Wandre village in Shahapur taluka was killed by a leopard on Sunday evening. He is the second person from the area to have fallen prey to leopard attack within a fortnight.
On July 26, a woman from Mauli village near the sanctuary had gone inside the forest to farm when she was dragged away by a leopard. She later died of her injuries.
Forest officials, who suspect that both the attacks were by the same animal, said encroachment into forest land was one of the main reasons behind the frequent strikes.
According to the Shahapur police, Akshay Bhavar stayed in a village inside the sanctuary. On Sunday evening, he and his two friends Devnath and Nilya left the clearing of their village and
left the clearing of their village and walked inside the forest when he was attacked by a leopard. "Seeing the leopard pouncing on Akshay, his friends ran back home. They did not even tell their parents about the incident," said G D Pingle, in-charge, Shahapur police station. When Akshay's parents could not find him even after searching him the entire night, they confronted Devnath and Nilya the next day. The two told about the leopard's attack.
The villagers called forest officials. Within one-and-a-half km from the village, the officials spotted the leopard sitting in the thicket and feeding on the remains of the boy. On seeing them, it escaped into the denser area of the sanctury, said the Shahapur police. The boy's body has been sent for post-mortem.
The incident has again raised concerns about the safety of the villagers staying inside and outside Tansa sanctuary.
The villagers have threatened to kill the leopard if the forest department failed to prevent further attacks. Even as chief conservator of forests R K Pole assured safety, he said, encroachment was the main problem.
On July 26, a woman from Mauli village near the sanctuary had gone inside the forest to farm when she was dragged away by a leopard. She later died of her injuries.
Forest officials, who suspect that both the attacks were by the same animal, said encroachment into forest land was one of the main reasons behind the frequent strikes.
According to the Shahapur police, Akshay Bhavar stayed in a village inside the sanctuary. On Sunday evening, he and his two friends Devnath and Nilya left the clearing of their village and
left the clearing of their village and walked inside the forest when he was attacked by a leopard. "Seeing the leopard pouncing on Akshay, his friends ran back home. They did not even tell their parents about the incident," said G D Pingle, in-charge, Shahapur police station. When Akshay's parents could not find him even after searching him the entire night, they confronted Devnath and Nilya the next day. The two told about the leopard's attack.
The villagers called forest officials. Within one-and-a-half km from the village, the officials spotted the leopard sitting in the thicket and feeding on the remains of the boy. On seeing them, it escaped into the denser area of the sanctury, said the Shahapur police. The boy's body has been sent for post-mortem.
The incident has again raised concerns about the safety of the villagers staying inside and outside Tansa sanctuary.
The villagers have threatened to kill the leopard if the forest department failed to prevent further attacks. Even as chief conservator of forests R K Pole assured safety, he said, encroachment was the main problem.
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