Baby boy dies in leopard attack in Daund tehsil

As per the information shared by the forest department, Karan Dilip Gaikwad, who works as a labourer in the sugarcane fields and is from Jalgaon district

A two-and-a-half-month-old boy died in a leopard attack in the Boripardhi area of Kedgaon village in Daund tehsil (Pune forest division) of Pune district. The incident occurred at around 4 pm on Sunday, November 17. The forest department has confirmed that the boy died due to a leopard attack and further procedures are being followed as per standard guidelines. The death comes just two days after a four-year-old boy died in a leopard attack in Mandavgan Farata village in Shirur tehsil of the district which falls under the Junnar forest division.

On Sunday, Karan and his family were working in the sugarcane field. (HT PHOTO)

As per the information shared by the forest department, Karan Dilip Gaikwad, who works as a labourer in the sugarcane fields and is basically from Jalgaon district, is currently staying in Kedgaon village. On Sunday, Karan and his family were working in the sugarcane field. His daughter was playing nearby while his two-and-a-half-month-old son was kept in a swing made of cloth tied to the sugarcane. At around 4 pm, a leopard hiding in the field attacked the child. The girl who was playing nearby started shouting and the others too started shouting. Hearing the noise, the leopard dropped the baby and ran away. The boy was immediately taken to the hospital where he died while receiving treatment.

The incident has shocked the parents, especially the mother of the baby. The forest officials were informed about this incident. When the team reached the spot, the inspection was carried out to collect the DNA samples and other evidence. The body was sent for a post-mortem.

Confirming the death due to leopard attack, Deepak Pawar, assistant conservator of forests, Pune forest division, said, “This tragic incident took place Sunday afternoon. The evidence is clear that the death occurred due to the leopard attack. We are investigating this issue further and all standard procedures will be followed. The villagers are angry after this incident and the forest department is trying to communicate with the villagers and informing them about all the efforts carried out by the department.”

For the past two years, citizens from different villages in Daund have been facing the adverse impact of leopard presence in their area. There have been several cattle losses and crop damages reported in Daund due to the leopard attack. In August 2023, an elderly man was attacked by a leopard in the Nangaon area of Daund tehsil, and the man sustained serious injuries to his face and hand. Leopard sightings and crop and cattle loss were also reported from villages including Patas, Shirapur Raje, Galandwadi, Pargaon, Kedgaon, Dapodi, Kangaon, Rahu and many more. The farmers have complained about it to the forest department several times. Last month, the forest department installed 15 camera traps in the Varvand area of Daund tehsil on October 19, to track the leopard activities in Varvand.