Leopard attacks cattle in Sohna

Gurugram: A leopard allegedly killed three cattle and attacked other domestic animals also on Saturday near the outskirts of Ghamroj village in Sohna, triggering panic among villagers. The attack is the latest in a string of similar incidents around the Aravalli ranges which are home to several wild animals, villagers said.

A few villagers spotted a leopard on the outskirts of the village reportedly for the third consecutive night on Saturday, leading to panic among locals and prompting them to demand night patrolling by forest department teams.

But a search operation by a forest department team on Sunday found nothing and after spending nearly five hours there, the team returned. They found some pug marks but only near the leopard habitat.

Mukesh Kumar, a cab driver and a resident of Ghamroj village said that he was returning home at about 1am on Sunday, when he spotted a leopard entering the village. “The villagers are scared to step out at night. The leopard starts prowling only when there is shortage of water in the Aravallis. We have requested the forest and wildlife department to check if there is sufficient water for them,” he said.

The villagers of Bhondsi demanded that forest officials start night patrolling in the area. “My cattle were attacked at night on Friday and they died. We fear for our lives and have stopped going out after dark. Once we are sure that the leopard has returned to its habitat, life will get back to normal around here,” said Ashok Kumar, a resident of Ghamroj village who lives near the fields.

The department said they had received at least 10 calls from Bhondsi village over leopard sightings in the past one week.

Rajesh Chahal, inspector, wildlife department said the leopards may have entered the villages as the natural waterbodies in the Aravallis may have dried up. “We have been keeping a check and refilling water bodies in the Aravallis to ensure there is sufficient water. If they are sighted again, we will place cages at strategic locations and cameras will be set up to monitor their activity,” he said.

“The dense Aravalli forests are home to many animals such as hyena, leopards, jungle cats and others,” he said.