In some way or the other, wild animals of our country suffer from fatal consequences at the hands of humans. We have encroached on their natural habitat so much that they’re forced to move out of it to survive.
In a heartbreaking incident, five leopard cubs, aged around three weeks, were burnt alive after a farmer set fire to his sugarcane field because he suspected a snake in it. The incident took place in Awasari village in Junnar tehsil of Pune.
According to the farmers, they were completely unaware of the wild cats’ presence in the field. A worker in the farm said:
We were there to cut the harvest. The farm owner asked us to burn trash on field and we did so, unaware that the cubs were there.
Reportedly, after they realised the presence of the cubs, the fire brigade, the police and the forest officials were immediately informed.
They also believe that the mother had gone to the jungle to hunt for some food. Apparently, farm workers are now scared to enter the fields since the mother can return at any point and get aggressive when she finds her cubs missing.
The significant decrease in forest land, which is their natural habitat, forces them to enter fields for shelter. Forest officials added that leopards usually give birth in sugarcane fields and leave once the cubs grow up.
Is there even a solution to this, or will the situation of our wild life only deteriorate?