-- Samir Umarye BICHOLIM MARCH 15: A 45 year old person from Pistewada Nanoda Bicholim was injured in a leopard attack while a another 3 year old female leopard was found dead near the same place.
According to the available information at about 6.45 am one Pandurang Tulaskar (45) from Pistewada Nanoda Bicholim had gone to answer nature's call behind his house. When he reached some distance suddenly a leopard rushed towards him and pounced upon him. "I was stateled to see a leopard before me but by the time i could realize what was happening he came over me" Pandurang Tulaskar told Herald at Asilo hospital Mapusa where he is presently admitted. "At first when he attacked me i was wounded on my left hand and still he tried to throw me down on the ground. At this occasion with full force i pushed his head under my legs and tried to press his neck" Tulsakar told adding "but as his mouth was open he bit my right hand and i shouted for help." Sighting commotion the dogs also came running towards the direction and seeing them the leopard ran away. "IToday being a sunday we got up bit late and i was still sleeping when i heard a roar from the wild cat and shout for help from my husband " Pushpa Tulaskar his wife told Herald "I was unable to know about anything but ran outside and saw the leopard attacking my husband." "The scuffle lasted for six to seven minutes and i almost saw my death before me." Pandurang tells. Immediately he was shifted to PHC Bicholim and later to Asilo Mapusa. His right hand was seriously injured while there were marks of his nails on his left hand. Following the incident the forest department personnel rushed to the site and tried to investigate about the incident. While they were doing so just some meteres away from the spot where the leopard attacked Pandurang the officials found a dead body of a female leopard. She died due to a trap laid for catching a wild boar. "The leopard was caught in a trap and died due to dehydration and this is confirmed after the postmortem done by the veternary doctors." ACF, Subhash Henrick told Herald on phone "the leopard that attacked the person and the one that died are two different animals as the other leopard had died some 12 hours before the incident." "We are moving forward in two different direction one as to who had laid the trap in which the leopard was caught and secondly we are also laying a trap to catch the other leopard who attacked the person." Henrick told.
