Mumbai, May 12: The wild cat that strayed into Karanja village in Uran taluka and stayed put in a house for over 14 hours, injured five people and disrupted four weddings before being captured.
“There were four weddings in our village, but the leopard’s presence created panic,” said eyewitness Jayesh Shroff. Forest officials who rushed to the spot barred everyone, including the wedding parties, from playing any music or drums within 200 metres of the house where the leopard was hiding. In fact, the ‘baraatis’ (marriage processions) were prevented from using the main road while going to their respective wedding venues and had to take other, narrower lanes.
Anwar Ahmed, deputy conservator of forests Alibaug, told TOI he is recommending an award for Shardul Varange, a local who badly hurt his arm while shielding veterinarian Dr Vinaya Jangle from the leopard. “Varange and Dr Jangle were looking in from the roof of the house to see where the leopard was hiding. Suddenly, it jumped high enough to attack, but Varange obstructed it with his arm,” said Ahmed. Varange is part of the nature group ‘Sarp Mitra’ (Friends of Snakes) whose volunteers participated in the operation.
Another volunteer, Chirner-based Jaywant Thakur, injured his left foot in the operation. “I was also on the roof to see where it was hiding. Suddenly, the angry and bewildered leopard jumped over 16 feet in the air to grab hold of my left shoe. Had I lost my grip, I could have been killed by the animal,” said Thakur. Fortunately, he was wearing the thick boots he normally uses when handling venomous snakes in the wild. “I pushed the leopard hard with my other foot. He managed to sink his teeth right into my bones, despite my thick, protective gear,” said Thakur. He has already spent over Rs 6,000 on treatment at Gosavi Hospital in Uran. “I hope the forest department helps me with the medical expenses,” he said.
Villager Viresh Madkharkar, who received a deep scratch on his thigh while helping forest officials, is also undergoing treatment at Uran’s Tungekar Hopsital.
–Agencies