Shocking CCTV footage captured a stray leopard entering a village in Pune, India, to kill and drag away a resident’s pet dog.
The leopard was recorded committing the act at the home of farmer Sambhaji Baban Jadhav in Shinde Vasti of Nere village on the night of March 15. In the video, the animal can be seen entering the verandah where the dog was tied to a leash.
Jadhav said he reported the incident to surrounding forest officials and staff, the Pune Mirror reported.
“When we found our pet dog missing, we checked our CCTV cameras and found that the leopard took away our dog,” he said, according to the outlet. “We immediately informed the gram panchayat and the forest department. However, no forest official or staff has visited our village till date.”
Leopards have reportedly been commonly seen near the Nere villages for the past three years. However, in the past seven to eight months, increasing leopard sightings in Nere, Jambe and Kasarsai have incited fear in villagers.
Although residents have relayed the sightings and requested the forest department set up traps to catch the wild animals, authorities have reportedly failed to display any efforts at catching the leopards.
“Are they waiting for the animal to attack us?” Jadhav questioned, according to the Pune Mirror. “Why didn’t they take any action earlier? People are scared to step out of their houses.”
While the local government normally compensates owners for livestock killed by wild animals, Mulshi range forest officer Santosh Chavan told The Times of India, “this particular case won’t qualify for compensation. We will still move a proposal to see if the farmer can be given some financial aid for constructing a compound wall around the house.”
