Fear has gripped residents after a leopard was seen roaming around the deserted premises of the now defunct Niphad Cooperative Sugar Factory once a reputed name among cooperative mills in the region. Farmers recently spotted the leopard near the Bhausaheb Nagar unit of the walking along the cement boundary wall at the chowk leading from the sugar factory to Sukene.
For the past several days, leopard sightings have been frequent in nearby areas like Sukene, Pimpri, Wadali, Pim-palas Ramache, Gondegaon, and Chandori. Locals claim that the animal has been wandering around the abandoned factory site at night. Some farmers even captured videos of the leopard, which are now circulating on social media. Residents have demanded immediate action from the Forest Department. They are urging officials to install cages and trap the leopard before it causes harm. Leopard menacing have been causing a lot of trouble in Nashik for quite sometime now. In June, a big cat walked into a house in the middle of the night. Luckily, the family locked themselves inside. The leopard kept roaring at the window until a rescue team arrived.
In May, leopards were sighted in Makhamalabad during the onset of summer in search of water. Due to human encroachment on the forests, wild animals have fewer opportunities to seek food and water in their natural habitat, forcing them to come to human settlements. As Nashik has vast agricultural areas, it becomes easier for leopards to hide in the fields. Leopards hide in sugarcane fields during the day, while at night they come out to hunt dogs, goats, sheep, and other small animals.