Maharashtra Woman Killed by Leopard in Soybean Field: Seventh Fatality This Year

In a tragic incident, a 40-year-old woman in Maharashtra’s Pune district was killed by a leopard, which misidentified her as prey. The attack occurred in the early hours of Wednesday as Sujata Dhere worked in a soybean field near sugarcane farms, where the leopard was hiding. The big cat attacked her and dragged her body for about 100 feet, causing fatal injuries. This incident marks the seventh death due to leopard attacks in the Junnar forest division since March.

The state forest department has launched a large-scale search and capture operation, deploying 40 cages, 50 camera traps, and thermal drones in the Pimpri-Pendhar area to locate the animal. Officials are also working to raise awareness among local residents, advising them to follow safety guidelines.

Leopard attacks have surged in the Junnar region, with this year seeing an uptick in human deaths, the second-highest recorded since 2001. Despite efforts to relocate leopards, the growing population and expanding territories of these animals have led to increased human-leopard conflicts in the area.