Three injured in sloth bear and gaur attacks in Satara and Kolhapur

Kolhapur:A 13-year-old boy was critically injured in a sloth bear attack in Vanjulwadi village, located near the Kas plateau area in Satara. The victim, Utkarsh Sanjay Kamble, is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Satara.According to villagers and forest officials, Utkarsh — an eighth-grade student — had gone to a private property near the village to pluck jamuns on Tuesday evening. When he failed to return home overnight, concerned villagers launched a search operation on Wednesday morning and found him severely injured.Utkarsh sustained serious wounds to his head, face, and stomach. Sandeep Jopale, the range forest officer (RFO) for Satara-Jawali, said,”Utkarsh was in the area to eat jamuns as the fruit is currently in season. While his wounds are serious, he is now in stable condition. Sloth bears are known to inhabit this region, and there have been sporadic attacks in recent years. We have completed the panchnama and submitted a proposal for Rs5 lakh in compensation, as per state government regulations for serious injuries.”In a separate incident in Kolhapur district, an elderly couple was injured after a wild gaur collided with their two-wheeler at Sawardi village in Shahuwadi tehsil. The victims, Ananda Ganapati Raut (60) and his wife Sampada (55), were travelling to their field, ‘Konmala,’ to spray pesticides on Thursday when the animal suddenly charged from the bushes.The impact caused both to fall from the bike. While Ananda sustained minor injuries, Sampada suffered serious injuries to her head and hand. Alerted by their screams, the gaur fled into the forest. Local residents rushed the couple to the Karanjfen Primary Health Centre before they were shifted to CPR Hospital in Kolhapur for further treatment.Residents of Savardi and Karanjphen alleged that wildlife activity has spiked in recent weeks. They have urged the Forest department to implement immediate measures to control the movement of wild animals and ensure swift compensation for the victims.Amidst the rising man-animal conflict, the Karvir range forest office in Kolhapur successfully intercepted an illegal timber smuggling operation on Thursday evening.Forest officials seized three tractor-trolleys in the Sangrul village area while they were transporting wood without the required permits. A case has been registered against the three drivers and a timber trader under the Indian Forest Act, 1927. The seized vehicles and the timber have been deposited at the govt nursery in Chikhali village.