Leopard attack caught on camera, dog falls victim in Pune

Pune:

A leopard attack in Pune has sparked concern among villagers after a dog fell victim to the animal. Residents of Junnar tehsil are now living in fear as they have been repeatedly sighting leopards. The latest leopard attack occurred in Warulwadi area near Narayangaon late on Saturday night and was captured on CCTV footage.

The video shows the leopard emerging from a dark alley at 11 p.m., grabbing a dog in its mouth and running away. The dog belonged to a local. Another dog chased the big cat to the alley but managed to escape with its prey.

The incident left the villagers very scared and prompted the forest department to capture the leopard immediately.

A month ago, a leopard was spotted on the campus of the Rajarambapu Institute of Technology on the outskirts of Pune. This triggered a search operation by forest and fire officials in the surrounding areas. Wildlife experts were also called in.

Junnar is one of the four Pune tehsils that were declared as “potentially leopard-infested areas” in June. These four tehsils comprise 233 villages, including Ambegaon, Khed and Shirur.

The state forest department has also sought permission from the Deputy Director General of Wildlife in the Union Forest Ministry for the sterilisation of 47 leopards.