PUNE: On Tuesday early morning, a leopard tried to drag away a farmer’s pet dog but dropped it after its owner gave a chase at Awasari Budruk in Ambegaon tehsil, off the Nashik highway, about 50km from the city.
The farmer, Shahaji Shinde, was sleeping in a shed close to his house along with his pet when the leopard struck in the early hours of Tuesday. He woke up to the wild barking of his pet and spotted the leopard dragging the dog away. “For a few seconds, I was scared but ran after the animal without thinking much. Luckily, the animal dropped the dog midway and went away.”
He said, “The Indian-breed dog sustained injuries on the neck. We treated the pet at a local veterinary clinic. Now, the condition of the dog is fine,” Shinde added. “Had the dog not barked, the leopard might have attacked me. So, in a way, we saved each other’s lives,” he said.
The villagers later reported the matter to the Junnar forest management. A team of forest officials inspected the areas and collected footage from the CCTV cameras installed at the house.
Manchar range forest officer Pradip Raundhal told, “The house does not have a compound wall. The leopard might have reached the spot in search of food. This is the first sighting of the animal in the village. We are increasing night patrolling in the village. Trap cages will be set up if required.”
Meanwhile, the villagers are scared. A local resident Dattatray Chavan, said, “We go to our farms at night to water crops but have stopped doing so since the incident. So we want the forest department to trap the animal for the safety of villagers.”
