Leopard captured 40 hours after alleged fatal attack; villagers delay relocation by 11 hours
Nearly 40 hours after the fatal leopard attack in Pimparkhed village of Shirur tehsil, the forest department captured the animal suspected to be involved in the incident
PUNE: Nearly 40 hours after the fatal leopard attack in Pimparkhed village of Shirur tehsil, the forest department captured the animal suspected to be involved in the incident. However, it remained caged at the spot for almost 11 hours as villagers initially refused to allow its relocation.
Thirteen-year-old Rohan Bombe was killed in the leopard attack at around 3.45 pm on Sunday, November 2. Nearly 20 hours later, the Junnar forest department, along with the specially deployed team of sharpshooters, launched a search-and-capture operation in Pimparkhed. The team was able to reach the site only on Monday due to large-scale protests by the villagers in the wake of the incident.
The team from Pune-based Rana’s Rifle Club reached at around 11 am on Monday to assist the forest department in capturing the leopard suspected to be involved. Eight additional trap cages were installed at and around the site, and night-time patrolling was carried out. At around 6 am on Tuesday, November 4, the leopard was caught in one of the cages near the attack site.
“The leopard captured this morning is a male; around three years old,” said Nilkanth Gavhane, range forest officer, Junnar. “Since its capture, the animal remained caged at the site for almost 11 hours as villagers refused to let it be shifted. The situation eased only after Pune district collector Jitendra Dudi visited the village and interacted with the locals following which, they agreed to allow relocation.”
Gavhane said that the department has not yet confirmed whether the leopard captured is the same one that attacked Rohan Bombe. “This will be verified through scientific analysis, including DNA testing. The leopard will be kept at a safe location until the results are received,” he said.
Gavhane added that the department will continue to monitor the situation in Shirur and intensify measures to reduce the man-animal conflict in the area.
The officer also said that villagers raised several demands during their meeting with the collector. “They demanded daytime electricity supply for farmers and the relocation of leopards from nearby areas to places from where they would not return to the village. The villagers also sought that the leopards be removed from schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, to allow local authorities take immediate action,” he said.
Cremation performed after 48 hours
The cremation of Rohan Bombe, killed in the leopard attack in Shirur, was performed 48 hours after the incident. Earlier, villagers had refused to conduct Rohan’s last rites until either the district collector or the forests minister personally visited their village.
According to forest officials, the post-mortem was carried out Monday morning but the family and villagers declined to accept the body, demanding the presence of senior officials. The body was preserved in an ice box inside an ambulance parked at the rural hospital until the issue was resolved.
