SANGUEM
Leopards are believed to have struck terror in the hilly hamlet of Tudov ward of Neturlim in Sanguem, as three cows were killed and 4 other cows were injured on Monday.
The attack came in as a shock for the cowherds after they had returned home for lunch during noon.
Villagers informed that they had, as usual, taken their cows for grazing in the nearby pasture and at noon they had returned home for lunch.
A short while later, some cows came running home and four of them had injuries on their neck.
The surprised villagers ran to see their cattle only to find three cows lying dead on the ground with deep injuries on their necks.
Two of the dead cows belonged to Prabhakar Velip while one belonged to Kushta Gaonkar and those injured belonged to Vithal Gaonkar.
While earlier there were instances of dogs being taken away by leopards in the village, this is the first time that three cows had been killed in a single incident and locals firmly believe that the attack was not by one single leopard but had been by two or more leopards.
The villagers had reported the matter to the forest department, however only one forest guard visited the village to verify the incident.
The villagers have appealed to the forest department to provide them compensation for their losses, as the deaths of three cows would have severe financial impact on the farmers.
Former panchayat member Satish Gaonkar also requested the forest department to provide continuous patrolling in the area to avoid similar incidents in the near future.
