Maharashtra: Leopard sighting triggers panic in Palghar, school shut

PALGHAR: Frequent sighting of a leopard has triggered panic at a village in Maharashtra's Palghar district with the local authorities asking the residents, especially children and elderly people, not to step out of houses after sunset, officials said on Saturday.

A zilla parishad-run school at Bavda village in Dahanu taluka, where the big cat was seen in the past few days, was also shut as a precautionary measure to avoid any untoward incident, they said. Some youths residing in Kanikpada and Dhondipada hamlets in Bavda spotted the leopard a few times since July 9.

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They told about it to the elderly people in the village, who in turn informed the forest department, a district administration official said. "As a precautionary measure, a local ZP school has been kept shut since the last couple of days to prevent any eventuality. Local citizens, especially children and elderly, have been asked not to venture out after sunset," he said.

Forest officials said leopard pugmarks were found in and around the village, which confirmed the presence of the spotted feline. Talking to reporters on Friday, range forest officer (RFO) from Boisar Apeksha Satam said the forest department has now installed cameras at certain spots to track the movement of the leopard. "However, the forest guards have not seen the animal in the area, nor was it captured on camera," she said. But the forest guards are keeping a vigil round-the-clock to help the villagers, Satam added.