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Rogue panthers stalk Mumbai: The Hindustan Times
Mumbai, Mar 14: At the IIT campus at Powai in Mumbai, panther sightings have become a pastime and students even consider it lucky to see one.
Mumbai, Mar 14: At the IIT campus at Powai in Mumbai, panther sightings have become a pastime and students even consider it lucky to see one.
However, for residents of housing colonies in the 100 sq km radius of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, a panther is synonymous with terror. There have been 25 panther attacks in the last year in which 11 persons have died.
"We live in terror. We do not allow children to go out after sunset," said B.B. Puri of Raheja Vihar, Powai.
Puri has still not forgotten how four-year-old Anmol Bansal was attacked by a panther in the Raheja Vihar garden. The panther was hiding in a nearby bush and pounced on the child when he was playing. The boy later succumbed to his injuries.
There are 45 panthers in the Borivli National Park, the last remaining green lung in Mumbai.
Panthers generally prey on deer, but the deer population has been steadily decreasing along with the forest cover as urban settlements push further and further into the forests. And the panthers have now made the urban jungle their hunting ground.
"The blame rests entirely on town planners who have given permission for big housing complexes within the forest area. Moreover, the panther comes out to prey on stray dogs as the dog population has increased rapidly in these housing complexes," said Debi Goenka of the Bombay Environmental Action Group.
Tribals and slum dwellers in settlements abutting the forests are more prone to panther attacks. Villages where panther attacks are more frequent are Kurar, Limboni, Appapada and Barikhupadi.
In one case, two panthers strayed onto the roof of a saree-printing unit and were trapped after falling through a hole in the asbestos roof. In another case, a panther wandered into a BEST bus parked at the terminus while the driver and conductor went out to tea.
The panther was later trapped and returned to the forest. Soon thereafter, an IIT student who came out of his mechanical engineering laboratory found a panther staring at him from the corridor.
IITians, though, have taken the panthers in their stride, mainly because the animal has not attacked them to date. Bureau Report
However, for residents of housing colonies in the 100 sq km radius of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, a panther is synonymous with terror. There have been 25 panther attacks in the last year in which 11 persons have died.
"We live in terror. We do not allow children to go out after sunset," said B.B. Puri of Raheja Vihar, Powai.
Puri has still not forgotten how four-year-old Anmol Bansal was attacked by a panther in the Raheja Vihar garden. The panther was hiding in a nearby bush and pounced on the child when he was playing. The boy later succumbed to his injuries.
There are 45 panthers in the Borivli National Park, the last remaining green lung in Mumbai.
Panthers generally prey on deer, but the deer population has been steadily decreasing along with the forest cover as urban settlements push further and further into the forests. And the panthers have now made the urban jungle their hunting ground.
"The blame rests entirely on town planners who have given permission for big housing complexes within the forest area. Moreover, the panther comes out to prey on stray dogs as the dog population has increased rapidly in these housing complexes," said Debi Goenka of the Bombay Environmental Action Group.
Tribals and slum dwellers in settlements abutting the forests are more prone to panther attacks. Villages where panther attacks are more frequent are Kurar, Limboni, Appapada and Barikhupadi.
In one case, two panthers strayed onto the roof of a saree-printing unit and were trapped after falling through a hole in the asbestos roof. In another case, a panther wandered into a BEST bus parked at the terminus while the driver and conductor went out to tea.
The panther was later trapped and returned to the forest. Soon thereafter, an IIT student who came out of his mechanical engineering laboratory found a panther staring at him from the corridor.
IITians, though, have taken the panthers in their stride, mainly because the animal has not attacked them to date. Bureau Report