Leopard mauls two villagers sleeping in courtyard in Dewale village, Bhor
Pangare was first admitted to the District Hospital in Bhor, from where he was moved to Sassoon Hospital in Pune.
A leopard attacked two villagers in Dewale village in Bhor taluka, early on Thursday morning. A calf and a cow were also attacked in the village.
In the summer, villagers in Dewale prefer to sleep in the courtyards in front of their houses. At around 1.30 am, a leopard attacked Suresh Jagtap (52) and bit him on his right shoulder and hand. When he began shouting for help, the leopard bolted and moved to another house where he attacked Kiran Gopal Pangare (33), who was also sleeping in the open.
Pangare’s legs were mauled and the leopard bit him on his left shoulder. As news of the leopard spread like wildfire, the entire village awoke and the animal immediately ran into the jungle.
The villagers then realised that the leopard had also bitten a new-born calf and a cow in a shed in the village.
“It was a very scary. All of a sudden, the animal was on my chest and biting me furiously. When I shouted, my family came outside and the leopard ran away,” Pangare said.
Pangare was first admitted to the District Hospital in Bhor, from where he was moved to Sassoon Hospital in Pune. After treatment he was discharged in the evening. Jagtap was treated at the primary health centre in Nasrapur.
“This incident is quite strange as it clearly shows that the leopard did not intend to kill; otherwise, he would have grabbed the throat. He just mauled and ran away,” said Dr Ajay Deshmukh, a veterinary doctor at the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre.
Three leopards - a mother and her two cubs - were found dead near the same village four months ago. The reason behind the deaths is still unknown and divisional forest officers are conducting an investigation.
“Leopard attacks on humans are quite rare in Bhor. This is just the second case in the last three years,” said Bhimsen Jadhav, sub-divisional forest officer, Bhor.
“We are now searching for the animal and have increased the number of patrolling teams. We are also creating awareness among villagers and asking them not to sleep in the open,” he added.
