Leopard attacks forest guard in Junagadh district of Gujarat

19-05-2015
Leopard attacks forest guard in Junagadh district of Gujarat

The Indian Express
http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/leopard-attacks-forest-guard-in-junagadh-district-of-gujarat/
A forest guard was injured after he was attacked by a leopard in Virdi village of Junagadh district late on Monday evening.

Forest officers said, the guard Mites Dodiya (31) was arranging a trap cage on farm of Dhiru Mori, a farmer of Virdi village at around 7:30 pm when a leopard came rushing all of a sudden and pounced on him.

"However, the guard was experienced and therefore, despite being alone, he shouted away the leopard. He sustained minor injuries and was taken to government hospital in Maliya-Hatina. He was discharged after primary treatment," Dipak Thakkar, deputy conservator of forest (DCF) of social forestry division in Junagadh told the Indian Express on Tuesday.

Thakkar further said that the trap cage had been placed in the Virdi on Sunday after villagers complained to forest department that the leopard had been troubling them for the last few days.

"However, the leopard did not took the bait on the first day. Therefore, Dodiya was in the process of relocating the cage and placing a bait when the leopard attacked him," said the DCF.

Virdi village is near Devaliya range of Gir West forests which is also home to Asiatic lions.

Thakkar said that forest officers had reset the trap cage and were trying to rescue the leopard.