4-year-old woman killed in leopard assault, ninth loss of life in Junnar division this 12 months | Pune Information

“The woman was taking part in within the open yard in entrance of their home. On the time there was no energy provide within the space. The woman was all of the sudden attacked by a leopard, which was hiding behind a tree cowl. Because the leopard began dragging the woman away, the woman’s mom who was close by raised an alarm… A search was launched for the woman and the villagers knowledgeable the forest division officers,” mentioned Amol Satpute, deputy conservator of forest, Junnar division.

The useless physique of the woman was discovered after a search that went on for over an hour. “Now we have beefed up patrolling within the space. Now we have deployed 10 lure cages, 10 digital camera traps, and drone cameras to seek out and seize the leopard,” mentioned Satpute.

Human deaths in leopard conflicts pile up

With this newest incident, the variety of human deaths in human-leopard battle in Junnar has risen to 9 for this 12 months with six of them being kids. With two extra deaths in Pune division, the variety of deaths in human leopard battle in Pune district has reached 11 this 12 months.

With a rising leopard inhabitants within the Junnar forest space in Pune resulting in elevated incidents of human-leopard battle within the area, the Maharashtra forest division has despatched a proposal to the Union Ministry of Atmosphere, Forest and Local weather Change (MoEFCC) to sterilise 36 feminine and 11 male leopards as a focused contraception methodology to carry down the speed of enhance of leopard inhabitants.

In June this 12 months, Pune District Collector had notified over 230 villages from 4 talukas of Pune district — Junnar, Ambegaon, Shirur and Khed — as vulnerable to catastrophe as a result of repeated incidents of human-leopard conflicts, through which a number of deaths and several other critical accidents had been reported.

Contemplating the big variety of leopards within the neighborhood of Kukdi and Ghod River, Junnar forest division has been repeatedly interesting to the residents of Junnar, Shirur, Ambegaon, and Khed talukas to comply with key precautionary steps. These embrace putting in loads of shiny lights round every house and within the fields whereever potential, utterly clearing the grass cowl on each side of the highway across the homes and the fields, utilizing bathrooms inside the home, avoiding going outdoors earlier than daybreak and after sundown so far as potential, and carry a flashlight and a sturdy stick if stepping out.