Aurangabad, Nov 18:
A man and his son were mauled to death by a leopard in Apegaon (Paithan) of Aurangabad district on Monday when the duo Ashok Aute (52) and his son Krushna (27), went to work at their farm. The incident has created panic among the farmers who are reluctant to go to the fields. The man-eating leopard returned to the spot where the father-son was killed in the attack on Wednesday morning, forest officials said.
Five forest teams have been deployed to search for the leopard and six cages with five trap cameras have been set up. The man-eating leopard had returned to the spot on Wednesday morning, however, he was not trapped in the cage, said forest range officer Raju Jadhav. The search for the leopard has been going on for the last two days. According to information, Ashok Aute and his son Krishna had gone to their farm in Apegaon on November 16. As night fell, they did not return home from the field, so the villagers went to the farm to look for them. Meanwhile, they found the body of the duo in their own field. Panic gripped the villagers as it was concluded that a leopard had killed the two. The forest department has announced assistance of Rs 15 lakh each to the family.
Sugarcane cutting postponed
The farms near Godavari river have become depopulated due to the terror of man-eating leopard. Farmers have become distraught as sugarcane workers have also left the sugarcane field in panic. All farming activities now have come to a halt due to the terror of leopards. Farmers Datta Gorde, Dnyaneshwar Kapse and Pralhad Aute have demanded to capture the leopard as soon as possible.
Frequent sightings of leopards in the area
Fifteen days ago, a leopard was spotted in Jamkhed Shivar, a short distance from Pachod. After this incident, villagers spotted leopards near Katpur, Dongaon, Kekat Jalgaon, Sonwadi, Khadgaon, Ranjangaon (Dandga), Limbgaon, Pachod and Thergaon. However, the forest department did not take any precautionary measures. The villagers are upset over the apathy of the forest department.