Murbad: Forest department ropes in expert shooter for leopard search

After three days of playing cat and mouse with the man-eating leopard of Murbad, the situation has become desperate for the Forest Department, which has, for the first time, roped in a national-level shooter to assist in the operation.

Also Read: Panic in Murbad after 2 leopard attacks in 3 days

Shooters have been posted at several spots where the leopard is likely to return, but all efforts, so far, have been in vain

This is highly unusual, since civilians are not allowed to participate or shoot in such operations. But all evidence suggests that the leopard is not just huge but extremely wily and dangerous. It has already charged at forest officials once, when it was spotted feeding on a cow's carcass. This is where expert marksman Siddhesh Deorukhkar comes in. While he will not be allowed to shoot the animal, Siddhesh will accompany the search team and give them tips on the right distance and angle to ensure a sure shot.

Terror of Murbad
Murbad had not witnessed any man-leopard conflict for seven years until a 55-year-old woman was dragged away and killed by a leopard on Friday evening, just 300 metres from her home. It was a double whammy when the leopard struck for the second time in 48 hours, this time killing and partly eating a 52-year-old man just a few km away.

Read Story: Two dead in Murbad: Officials ordered to capture leopard dead or alive

Since then, the Forest Department (FD) is on a war footing to find the big cat. Three shooters have been sent from the Thane Rural Police, and another five from the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF). Siddhesh will serve as their advisor.

Mahesh Patil, Superintendent of Police, Thane Rural Police said, "The forest department asked for policemen trained with firearms. Accordingly, we provided them three constables who have expertise in firearms."

Deputy Conservator of Forest (DCF) Kishor Thakare said, "A total of three sharp shooters from the Thane Rural police have already taken position at the strategic locations to shoot the leopard. We are taking the best possible measures to trap the animal as we don't want any further conflict in the area."

Elusive animal
However, this is easier said than done. The leopard still seems to be on the prowl in a radius of 10 km from the scene of the first attack. A day after the leopard brought down a cow in the area, the shooters were confident that the animal would return again. Yesterday, they kept a vigil till 5 pm, perched on machans built on trees. But a steady drizzle throughout the day kept the big cat away. Eventually, the marksmen gave up for the day. Meanwhile, the leopard killed a chicken in the same area, even as 200 officials and villagers were searching for it.

All efforts to trap the animal in a cage have also had no result. Several cages have been set up, but the leopard has not taken the bait despite passing by it. A local villager said, "We suspect that the animal might have been trapped on an earlier occasion because it is not even entering the cages. This usually happens when the animal has been trapped before." Wildlife experts have consistently advocated against trapping and releasing wild animals in a new area, as this could lead to further conflict. That would also explain the sudden attacks in this case.

Meanwhile, a team from the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) is conducting awareness sessions to prevent further conflicts. For now, villagers have been asked to stay inside their homes.