NASHIK: Although the number of leopards is increasing day by day in various tehsils of the district, according to research, most leopard attacks on the human took place only in the evening. A few days ago, a farm labourer in Sinnar taluka lost his life in a leopard attack while watering crops at night.
As electricity for agriculture pumps is supplied during the evening, the timing is resulting in human-leopard conflict. The forest department has written a letter to MSEDCL for this. The leopards are flourishing around the river banks in the district. Godavari, Darna, Kadava rivers, and other water bodies have become a new habitat for leopards.
They are living in dense bushes along the banks of rivers and the vicinity of the left-right bank canals of Gangapur dam. The leopard presence is highly observed in Samangaon, Ekalhare, Jakhori, Palse, Hinganvedhe villages as well as in the reserved forest areas of Deolali Camp, Donwade, Bhagur, and in the forests around the defence area. A few days ago, the sugarcane cutting season came to an end. While harvesting at many places, leopard cubs, as well as grown leopards, were spotted.
Conflict can be avoided
As electricity is supplied at night, farmers or farm labourers have to go to the fields to irrigate their crops. At this time, the leopard goes out in the dark of night in search of food and water. Meanwhile, the forest department, in a letter to MSEDCL’s executive engineer, observed that leopards were carrying out human attacks while farmers were irrigating the fields at night. Wildlife experts say that the only way to curb such incidents is not by trapping leopards, but if the daytime power supply is preferred to rural areas, the human-leopard conflict will not erupt.
The danger of open defecation
In rural areas, it is also dangerous to send children to open defecation at night. The incidents of leopard attacks in the village in Ghoti, Bhandardarawadi road in Igatpuri taluka have taken place while boys and girls were out of the house to answer nature’s call. According to the forest department, this will help curb the human attacks of leopards if the villagers in the Nashik district, who live in the leopard-prone village, avoid going to the open space for defecation near the forest at night alone or in groups of two or three.
25 people attacked within a year
During the year, 22 to 25 incidents of leopard attacks on humans have taken place in various talukas in the western part of the district. About ten people have been killed in these incidents. The statistics include some children too. People who go to the farm area at night are seen encountering leopards. The leopard is a nocturnal wild animal, and due to it, it goes out hunting at night.