Leopard that killed 6-year-old Sangli boy trapped after four days of search

Kolhapur: The forest department, along with a rapid rescue team, on Wednesday successfully trapped the leopard that killed a six-year-old boy at Biur village in Sangli district Shirala tehsil, after a four-day search operation. A thermal drone and a dog squad from Pune were deployed to aid the teams.The tragedy occurred on Jan 30, when the leopard attacked and killed Rajveer Hanmant Patil while he was playing outside his home. As the news spread, a large crowd gathered at the Shirala sub-district hospital and later vandalised the local forest department office, alleging that repeated calls to the Shirala Range Forest Office went unanswered.Ramesh Kamble, the newly appointed range forest officer for the Shirala range, said the search operation covered Biur, Upwale, Kadamwadi and Tadwale villages. "The leopard remained in the same region till Tuesday night, but repeatedly evaded the search teams. Cage traps were deployed. A thermal drone and a dog squad from RESQ NGO in Pune were brought in too," he said.Chief conservator of forests G Guruprasad and deputy conservator of forests (territorial) Sagar Gavate visited the spot to guide the rescue operation. The dog squad searched the attack site and surrounding areas based on clues like pugmarks, urine and faeces. "One of the cage traps was placed exactly where Rajveer was attacked, with hens used as bait. Between 3am and 4am on Wednesday, the leopard entered the cage and was trapped. The animal is a fully grown female, around four to five years old," Kamble said.