1 2 Pune: A sub-adult male leopard — suspected to have killed a toddler in Boripardhi area of Kedgaon village in Daund on Nov 17 — was captured late on Monday by the forest department. The two-and-a-half-year-old boy lived with his parents on the sugar cane farm. On the day of the incident, the boy was playing in a makeshift swing while his father, Karan Gaikwadd, was working in the field.
The big cat, which was hiding in the farm, attacked the child around 4 pm. The toddler's sister who was also playing nearby cried for help following which people came to the rescue. The commotion forced the leopard to drop the baby and flee.
Karan was rushed to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The forest department later installed three cages and eight trap cameras in the area. In addition, thermal drone monitoring was used to monitor leopard activity in the region.
"We are now conducting a swab analysis to assess if it is the same leopard. The big cat has been sent to the Transit Treatment Centre in Bavdhan," Deepak Pawar, assistant conservator of forests (Pune Division), said. Karan's death is the ninth leopard attack casualty in Pune district this year.
A four-year-old boy was killed in another attack a few days ago in Mandavgaon Pharata village of Shirur. Officials are suspecting that start of suger cane cutting season had led to increase in movement of leopards in Junnar and its surrounding villages..