A four-and-a-half-year-old boy was attacked by a leopard near his home in the Nimgav area of Khed Tehsil, Pune, on Tuesday evening, officials said. The incident occurred around 8:30 pm while the child was playing outside.
The boy was reportedly grabbed by the neck and dragged a few metres before local residents intervened to rescue him. He sustained injuries to his neck and face and was immediately taken to the government hospital in Khed, where his condition is reported to be stable, according to news agency ANI.
Following the attack, forest officials have launched a search operation in the area and increased vigilance, amid concerns over repeated leopard sightings and attacks in the region.
Earlier, amid increasing leopard attacks in Pune district, terrified villagers in Pimperkhed in Shirur tahsil adopted an unusual safety measure by wearing belts or collars fitted with sharp nails around their necks while working in the fields, and installing iron grills around their homes to protect themselves.
In addition to collars and iron grills, many households have installed an electric fence around their homes as a precautionary barrier. Villagers claim that frequent leopard sightings and multiple recent attacks have made routine outdoor activities risky, especially during early mornings and late evenings, reported ANI.
Vitthal Rangnath Jadhav, a villager, said that they spot a leopard every day, and his mother fell prey to one a month ago. He told reporters that a girl was also recently killed in a leopard attack.
According to ANI, Jadhav said, “We are wearing these collars around our neck because of leopards. Leopards come here anytime. We need to save ourselves. This is why we wear this. Farming is our only source of income. We cannot sit at home fearing leopard attacks. We spot a leopard every day. One month ago, my mother fell prey to a leopard. Before her, a little girl was killed by a leopard.”
Describing the assault against his mother, the villager said that she was dragged for about a kilometre into the sugarcane fields.
Hence, he urged the government to take the necessary action to address the problems faced by the residents of Pimperkhed village.
(With ANI inputs)