Forest guard injured in leopard attack near Junnar

Kailas Bhalerao is currently in stable condition, and undertaking treatment in a hospital, forest officials informed

Forest guard Kailas Bhalerao from Junnar forest division was injured during a rescue operation near Alephata in Junnar tehsil on Tuesday. Bhalerao is currently in stable condition, and undertaking treatment in a hospital, forest officials informed. Just before this incident, a bike rider, who was crossing the Pune - Nashik Highway near Alephata, was also injured as he was hit by the same leopard.

Just before this incident, a bike rider, who was crossing the Pune - Nashik Highway near Alephata, was also injured as he was hit by the same leopard. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO)

As per the information given by the forest official, on Tuesday, March 26, a leopard was crossing the Pune- Nashik Highway during the nighttime. However, he collided with a bike, and the wild animal panicked due to the incident and entered a nearby human settlement and entered a two-story building in the area.

Meanwhile, the forest department received a call from the residents about a leopard sighting and a rapid rescue team was deployed from the Nashik Road area. Along with that, a team of forest guards from nearby areas also reached the spot. However, before they reached the spot, the leopard escaped from the area and ran away to a nearby field on Tuesday night.

Speaking about the overall operation and the injury incident, Amit Bhise, assistant conservator of forest, Junnar forest division said, “At least 500 people from the nearby area gathered outside the building where the leopard was sighted. It was difficult to manage the crowd for forest and police officials. Our rescue team managed to push the leopard towards the downside. But while he was climbing down from the stairs, the noise was made by someone, which panicked the leopard. He then got impulsive and started running down, attacking forest guard Kailas Bhalerao.”

Bhise added that the forest guard received serious injuries on his hand and shoulder.

The leopard presence in human areas in Junnar tehsil has become a major point of concern for a long time. There were many incidents have been reported about multiple leopard sightings at the same place as the attack incidents in various areas in Junnar. These rising incidents of leopard sightings in human areas have triggered fear among people. The residents from Junnar tehsil are demanding strong action to mitigate the conflict situation. A sterilization plan is also proposed as a part of the mitigation solution; However, the project draft is still pending with the State government.