Leopard killed by villagers

Leopard killed by villagers
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

NASHIK, MARCH 30: A Leopard who attacked six persons near Paregaon village in Chandwad tehsil on Thursday was stoned to death by villagers, who feared more attacks from the wild cat.

The leopard had attacked a farm labourer, Reshma Chintaman Bhoye (45) while she was working in the fields on Thursday of Rajaram Chaure. When she screamed, Rajaram Balaji Chaure rushed to her rescue. The wildcat then tried to maul Chaure, but left him when other persons rushed to the spot.

During the day, the leopard had attacked three villagers. The villagers then reported the matter to forest officials and the Vadner Bhairav police station. A cage was to be sent from Nashik to trap the animal but when the cage did not reach till evening, the villagers got impatient.

Around 6.00 p m a group of about 200 villagers armed with sticks, spears and stones tracked down the leopard and stoned him to death. In the process, the leopard turned around and attacked a police constable, D Y Kushare, who even fired one round in the air to scare off the creature.

The leopard ran away into the bushes after hearing the crack of gunfire. However, panicked villagers feared an attack during the night and decided to kill the animal. A group of about 200 villagers tracked down the leopard and stoned him to death in the evening.

The injured persons were admitted to the rural hospital at Vani. The carcass of the wildcat was handed over to forest officials. The leopard had probably strayed out of the jungle in search of prey because of dwindling cover, while cattle grazing and farming activities have been increasing over the years in areas on the outskirts of forests.