DEOLALI CAMP: The increasing presence of leopards in Donwade Village, Near Bhagur, has created an atmosphere of fear among villagers. Earlier, leopards used to roam in fields at night, but now, they are entering the fields in broad daylight. Villagers and field workers have demanded forest department to set up cages in their area and trap leopards to avoid any unfortunate accident in future.
For the past four years, leopards have been roaming in and around Donwade Village. The leopards have killed one child and many pets in this area. Due to the onset of Summer, leopards from Sinnar Taluka hills have now been descending to Rahuri and Vichuri Dalvi. Also, as sugarcane crops are being harvested now, the leopards are roaming around in open.
Yesterday, the leopard appeared suddenly in Balasaheb Sangle’s onion farm, a Gram Panchayat member, and the workers were left frightened. Even though it ran away following the screams of workers, the incident has frightened everyone from the core. Bhausaheb Shirole, a social activist, stated that earlier, villagers used to finish all their work in the daytime and avoid stepping out at night.
Now, leopards have started entering the fields in broad daylight, thus creating fear among workers. As the villagers have spotted two to three leopards in the nearby fields, they have demanded the forest department to install cages immediately.
