Residents of Tirthkunde and adjoining villages of Khanapur and Belagavi forest ranges were gripped with fear following a wild animal attacking a calf on Sunday evening.
According to forest officials, a wild cat suspected to be a leopard, attacked a year-old calf while it was grazing along with its mother cow and other cattle on the outskirts of Rankunde. The leopard appears to have run away leaving the calf injured, when the mother cow and other cattle chased it away.
Owner of the calf, Bamu Navale Gundre said the wild cat attacked the easy prey when its mother initially ran away in panic and fear. But it returned along with other cattle and chased the predator away.
The incident came to light when the villagers informed the forest department and police on Monday morning. A team of forest personnel and police rushed to the village and inspected the spot of animal attack. Villagers are unable to identify the wild cat but suspected it to be a tiger in view of the Tiger movements in the nearby villages of Santibastwad, Ranakunde and Machhe and the campus of Visvesvaraya Technological University two weeks ago. But, given the nature of attack, the predator could be a leopard as the tiger normally would not leave its prey once attacked.
However, a few CCTV cameras are being installed at vantage points, including nearby water bodies to keep a watch on the wild cats and take measures accordingly.
