Thorn in the neck: Pune farmers don spiked collars to outsmart deadly leopards

Pune (The Uttam Hindu): The terror of leopards has increased so much in Pimperkhed village, Pune, Maharashtra, that people are forced to resort to extraordinary methods to save their lives. To protect themselves from deadly leopard attacks, villagers are wearing iron "spiked collars" around their necks while working in the fields, preventing them from directly attacking their necks. In fact, within the past month, leopards have claimed the lives of a 5-year-old girl, an 82-year-old woman, and a 13-year-old boy. Following these incidents, the entire village lives in fear, and residents have even installed electric wires and iron grills around their homes to protect them.

Villager Vitthal Ranganath Jadhav expressed his pain, saying that farming is his only source of income, so he cannot sit at home out of fear. He said that a month ago, his mother also became a victim of this leopard. According to Vitthal, he sees the leopard every day and an attack could happen at any time in the fields, which is why he wears a barbed collar around his neck. Villagers say that the repeated leopard sightings and constant attacks have completely changed their daily routine. Now, for safety reasons, people go to the fields in groups, and school timings are also being considered to be changed from 9 am to 4 pm.

Meanwhile, the administration has also taken action in response to the gravity of the situation. Officials said that on November 5, a joint operation by the forest department and rescue teams killed the man-eating leopard, which was believed to be responsible for three deaths in the area. Pune Forest Conservator Ashish Thackeray, after obtaining approval from higher authorities, tracked the leopard using camera traps and thermal drones. Following the operation, the leopard's carcass was displayed to villagers to allay their fears, after which it was sent for a postmortem.