Panther attacks scare villagers in Ajmer’s Masuda block

AJMER: Villagers of Devmali on Thursday were a tense lot when they found that a goat had been killed by a panther again. The animal is attacking the cattle since last five days and on Thursday villagers demanded action from administrative officials. The pugmarks found near the village confirmed the presence of panther in the region.
Devmali, a traditional village where no pucca construction has been done and where villagers still live in huts is in the Masuda block of the district.“This morning I found that my goat had disappeared and half of its body was found near the main road,” said Mahender Gujjar. He said that there are constant instances of panther attacks in the village.
Villagers also showed pugmarks of the panther to the officials. “I directed the forest department to act fast in this matter,” said Suresh Chawla, sub-division officer. Villagers added that people are living under fear and are tying their cattle in the room where they sleep.
Officials of forest department said that Masuda, Jwaja and old Beawar are the regions where panthers are seen and sighted many times. “They usually come from the reserve forest of Tatgarh in search of food and these places are situated at the foothills of Arravalis,” added an official source.
In last five years villagers have killed two panthers and once a panther cub was saved by the forest department when it fell in a well. Panthers usually run at 70 miles per hour and they cover the area from Tatgarh to Pushkar where they went to hunt deer in deer parks.
Officials said that after getting information of panther attack in Devmali, they deputed a team from Beawar range and directed the officials to locate the pugmarks of the animal to confirm the direction. “Devmali is almost surrounded by hills and therefore there are lots of places from where this panther can come,” said a member of the team.
Officals said that if necessary they will put a cage to catch the panther alive. “Two years ago, a panther was caught from this region which was sent to Jaipur Zoo,” added the source.