Belagavi: The villagers of Bilaki, Avarolli, Kadatan Bagewadi and other villages of Golihalli forest range in Khanapur taluk are covering under fear after the appearance of a leopard near Bilaki village in the Golihalli forest range in last couple of days.
On receiving this information from the local residents those who seen leapord in Bilaki, Avarolli, Kadatan Bagewadi village in Khanapur taluk, the range forest officer Srinath Kadolikar and his team visited these villages, and are searching for the leopard on seeing its footprints and other evidences.
RFO Kadolkar has asked the local people to give accurate information if leopard found so that forest department officials can take accurate measures. The leopard might have come to drink water at the lake near Bilaki village, the people residing in the villages adjacent to the forests should be alert he said.
It can be recalled that, a 50-year-old villager sustained injuries in leopard attack incident in the outskirts of Degaon hamlet in Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary limits in Khanapur taluk in April 2018. The farmer Krishna Dhoond was attacked by leapard when he had been to jungles for plugging cashew nuts and fruits for selling in Khanapur market for earning his daily bread. While doing so, he was unaware of a leopard resting in the bushes which got disturbed and attacked him.
Similarly in May 2020, Villagers in Avarolli village of Khanapur taluk were continuesly seen a leopard. The fear among the villagers increased when, the Leopard attacked and ate a goat in a farmhouse on the outskirts of the village. Few people of Avarolli village had previously seen the same leopard roaming in the farmlands and in the outskirts of the village. The forest personnel had tried to catch the leapard by putting a cage but had failed.
