23 August,2016 08:32 AM IST | | Ranjeet Jadhav
The big cat, that has claimed two victims, has been declared a man-eater and, if attempts to capture it alive are unsuccessful, sharp shooters have been ordered to shoot it
After two deaths in 48 hours, Murbad's leopard has been labeled a man-eater and the hunt is on to track down the animal.
Apart from the steady downpour that slowed down the operation yesterday, one of the biggest challenges is tranquilizing the big cat in an open area. For this reason, the officials have their orders to shoot on sight.
Also Read: Panic in Murbad after 2 leopard attacks in 3 days
After the leopard dragged off a 55-year-old Mirabai Ware and killed her on Friday evening, just 4 km away, another villager Barku Bhau Bhoir (52) was mauled to death while he was out grazing his cattle on Sunday evening. Yesterday, the Forest Department (FD) paid the family members of the deceased an initial compensation of Rs 1 lakh.
Forest officials patrol on foot to look for pugmarks and other clues
Following the second death, the situation has become tense and villagers have gathered in angry mobs more than once. Frightened villagers have stopped sending their children to school, as the kids have to walk through a dense forested patch and open grassland. The leopard is also rumoured to have attacked cattle in the area.
The FD had already set up five trap cages to catch the animal but that has not worked so far. The leopard rescue team from Sanjay Gandhi National Park will attempt to capture the animal by tranquilizing it, but if that is not possible, they have permission to shoot it. The police have also sent sharp shooters to assist in the operation.
The biggest challenge though is to ensure that an innocent leopard does not get killed in the process. If the attacks continue after the leopard is killed, it might backfire on the forest department. In order to avoid this, the authorities are relying on camera trapping to identify the big cat that is responsible.
Since last morning, more than 200 forest officials, including the senior officers from the Tokawde forest division, have been monitoring the situation on ground. Forest guards are also patrolling the area on foot in groups of three to four, searching for clues like pugmarks. A control room has also been setup in the Tokawde forest division office and the number of the officials has been distributed in the villages and tribal hamlets that fall in a 10-km radius.
Last afternoon, the FD officials received a call about a leopard sighting in the hilly patch north of Tokawde village. "The shepherds from our village saw a huge leopard roaming on the hill in the afternoon and they got frightened and informed us about it," said Danu Bhir, one of the locals.
Chief Conservator of Forest Thane (Territorial) KP Singh said, "The loss of human life in is really unfortunate and we are taking the best efforts to trap the animal."
