Father-son duo injured in leopard encounter near Sanjay Gandhi National Park

The leopard was darted within in an hour and moved to SGNP

A father-son duo was injured in an encounter with a leopard near Kurar village, located adjacent to Sanjay Gandhi National Park, on Saturday morning. The injured were rushed to Shatabdi Hospital and are currently stable.

After the incident, the big cat hid in a trench. RFO Niket Shinde, along with SGNP team and the NGO WWA, prepared a plan and SGNP veterinary officer Dr Nikhil Bangar successfully darted the animal in less than an hour. The leopard was then shifted to the park's rescue centre.

Chandu Kharpade suffered a head injury while his son's hand was hurt

A source from the forest department said, "The leopard has been taken to SGNP rescue center for medical examination. It is an old female leopard with one of its canines broken."

Forest department officials are expected to visit the area to assess the situation and sensitise residents about precautions in leopard-prone areas.

With inputs by Ritika Gondhalekar

Doctorspeak

The on-duty medical officer at Shatabdi Hospital, Kandivali, said, "The father has suffered a head injury, while a finger on the son's right hand is injured. We will run some tests to be sure neither have any major issues. Otherwise, both are stable and conscious."

What happened?

According to villagers, the injured, Chandu Bhimji Kharpade and his son Umesh Kharpade, had gone to fetch water from a well near their hamlet between 5.30 am and 6 am.

"A woman from their house who had gone ahead first spotted the leopard and began shouting for help. The father and son ran towards her and tried to drive away the leopard that was sitting in the bushes. The animal might have got scared and ended up attacking them," said a relative of the injured.