Leopard sighted in Waluj Budruk area, creating fear among farmers

loss of life averted

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Panic spread among farmers in the Waluj Budruk area when a leopard suddenly appeared while they were working in the fields in survey number 186 of Walujwadi (gut no 186) at 1:30 pm on Wednesday.

The farmers were stunned for a moment upon seeing the leopard. However, maintaining their composure, they started shouting and bursting firecrackers. As a result, the leopard ran away into a nearby sugarcane field, averting a major tragedy.

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Sighting again after Dec 14 incident

For the past few days, there has been an increase in leopard activity in the Waluj Budruk, Walujwadi, and Narayanpur areas located along the banks of the Kham River. In the same area, a leopard had attacked and killed a three-month-old calf in the cattle shed of farmer Dilipsingh Ghunavat on December 14. The incident occurred in front of the forest department officials who had come for the inspection, where the leopard dragged the dead calf into the sugarcane field. The sighting of the leopard again on Wednesday has created an atmosphere of fear among the farmers.

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Appeared from pigeon pea field in broad daylight

Farmer Raju Gaikwad's shared field in survey number 186 has pigeon pea, sugarcane, and wheat crops. In the afternoon, while he was travelling on the field road in a bullock cart, a leopard suddenly emerged from the pigeon pea field.

Shaikh Karim and Ram Hande were irrigating the wheat crop at the same time. The situation became tense immediately. The leopard ran away and entered the sugarcane field in the neighbouring survey numbers 172-173 due to the shouting and the sound of firecrackers.

Fortunately, there was no loss of life, but the constant presence of leopards has made working in the fields dangerous. Therefore, farmers are increasingly demanding that the forest department immediately set up cages to capture the leopard.