Shoot it! Sena MLA's dead-on solution for leopard attacks

A politico has provided a pointblank answer to the mananimal conflict the city finds itself witnessing in its forested areas mdash shoot the animal dead Local Shiv Sena MLA Ravindra Waikar has demanded that leopards that maul humans either be trapped or shot dead u00a0He has also told the Thane forest department that if any more attacks happen hersquod lead an agitation since locals are simmering at the spate of leopard attacks some leading to deaths in and around the Aarey Milk Colony area The demand came during a meeting between Thane forest department Aarey colony officials and Waikar on Tuesday u00a0ldquoI would like to request the forest department that they should immediately trap the leopard or shoot it down as it is attacking people After this if any attack takes place we will hold a massive protest The locals are furious and the FD should solve the problem at the earliestrdquo Waikar said A senior forest official from Thane said ldquoWe have already set traps at various places in Aarey milk colony to catch the leopard But we canrsquot say for sure when the animal will be trapped We are trying our best and we request the locals to cooperate with usrdquo u00a0He added ldquoI would just like to add that shooting the leopard is not a solutionrdquou00a0 Other issues The issue of cattle carcasses dumped at Aarey milk colony attracting leopards reported earlier by this paper was also discussed in the meeting and Aarey authorities promised strict action against the malefactors Other problems brought up at the meet were nonfunctional streetlights inadequate water supply garbage dumping and lack of public toilets Waikar claimed that the issue of BEST buses to ferry children from BMC schools to the padas would be solved so students would not have to walk back home through the forests Thane forest officials have handed over compensation cheques to the family of those deceased or injured by leopard assaults Big cat attacks The surge in the number of leopard attacks at Aarey Milk Colony and Borivli national park areas is frightening to say the least with many casualties reported in the past few months Since January this year at least seven people have been attacked in Mumbai mostly in the forested area gtgt October 19 Sevenyearold Prakash Salunkhe is on his way home from school when he is attacked by a leopard that has strayed from the park Prakash stayed with his parents at the Aarey Colony on the borders of the park gtgtu00a0October 1 Fouryearold Hiya Mhase is mauled to death in Khadakpada on the peripheries of Sanjay Gandhi National Park The same day Sunil Rajesh Bhor an 11yearold Std IV student survives a violent attack gtgtu00a0September 5 A fullgrown big cat attacks 29yearold Krishna a tempo driver who transports milk from a cowshed to a milk centre after he alights from his vehicle gtgtSeptember 1 Guddu Kevat 28 a plumber who is a resident of Andheri East goes to Unit no 15 at the milk colony for an evening walk with his friends when the animal charges at him gtgtu00a0August 20 Eighteenyearold Vaibhav Tiwari goes to pick up his mother from Durga Pada in Aarey Milk Colony when a leopard pounces on him from the bushesu00a0