Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Panic spread in Taklipaitan village limits of Paithan tehsil after a leopard suddenly appeared in front of two brothers who were irrigating their crop around 1.30 am on Thursday. The brothers narrowly escaped by running into a farm shed, saving their lives.
Farmers Yogesh Mohite and Pradeep Mohite from Taklipaitan were watering their pearl millet crop late at night as power supply was available at that hour. During this time, they heard suspicious sounds of an animal. When they flashed their battery torch in that direction, they saw a leopard approaching them from a short distance. Showing presence of mind, they immediately switched off the torch and ran towards the farm shed. After some time, they noticed the leopard moving away in another direction. The farmers also managed to record a video of the leopard on their mobile phone. They informed the Forest Department about the incident. However, according to the farmers, forest officials said that a cage is currently not available to trap the leopard. Forest officials have confirmed after watching the video that the animal is indeed a leopard. Although a cage is not available at present, it will be arranged and installed in the Taklipaitan farm area soon. Prashant Nikalje, forest guard, Paithan