Leopard attack in Palghar's Safale kills cow, drags away bullock at Juipada in Navjhe

A leopard has spread fear again in the Safale area of Palghar. At midnight on Friday, in Juipada in Navjhe in the Safale East belt, the animal attacked cattle tied near a house. A cow was killed in the attack, while a bullock was dragged away by the leopard.

Leopard movement in Maharashtra has increased considerably in recent times. Leopards that were earlier confined to forests have begun entering settlements. Such incidents have occurred from time to time, and the Safale incident is the latest. The presence of leopards has appeared to increase in the Safale East belt.

Ramesh Jadhav, a farmer of Juipada, had tied the cattle to the trees in front of his house as usual. A leopard lying in wait attacked the cattle suddenly at midnight.

Early on Saturday, when members of the Jadhav family went to feed and water the cattle, they found bloodstains and remains of the cattle near the cattle shed. The sight frightened the villagers, and residents rushed to the spot. A leopard had also been sighted a few days earlier in the Sakhare area of Safale East.

The forest department had appealed to people to remain alert at night. But the leopard is now coming straight into the settlement and attacking domestic cattle, which has increased the worry of farmers and those in the dairy business. Villagers also fear that after cattle, the leopard will start preying on humans, and that once it acquires a taste for human blood, the situation could quickly slip out of control.

On receiving news of the incident, a forest department team visited the spot, inspected it and drew up a panchnama. Villagers have demanded that compensation for the dead cattle be paid immediately and that a cage be set up in the area to trap the leopard. Villagers are now asking whether they will have to live their lives in fear of the leopard.