In a terrifying incident highlighting the escalating human-wildlife conflict, two farmers from Maharashtra's Sangli district sustained severe injuries after being attacked by a wild gaur, also known as the Indian bison. The attack, which occurred on Tuesday, marks the fourth such violent encounter in the Kolhapur-Sangli region within a mere five-day period, raising serious concerns about safety in farmlands.
The Attack: A Sudden Ambush in the Sugarcane Field
The victims have been identified as Laxman Mane (45) and Bandopant Patil (40), both residents of Mandur village in Sangli. According to details from the Shirala forest range, the two men were engaged in cutting sugarcane on Tuesday morning when the massive bovine suddenly charged at them from behind the dense crop.
The gaur first targeted Laxman Mane, lifting him with its horns and violently throwing him to the ground. He suffered serious injuries to his thigh and extensive wounds across his body. Bandopant Patil was also attacked, sustaining injuries to his face and body in the process. Fellow villagers, hearing the commotion, rushed to their aid.
Rushed Treatment and Rising Public Anger
The injured farmers were initially taken to the primary health centre in Mandur for first aid. Given the gravity of their wounds, especially Mane's, they were subsequently shifted to a private hospital in Karad for advanced treatment. A large crowd of anxious relatives and villagers gathered outside the hospital, their worry quickly turning into frustration.
Farmers from the area expressed their fury and fear, accusing the forest department of failing to implement concrete measures to prevent such recurrent attacks. Ashok Patil, a local farmer from Mandur, voiced the community's distress, stating, "If the gaurs are not controlled, how will farmers work in their farmlands? Going to the farm has become life-threatening due to the fear of leopards and gaurs." He emphasized the urgency, noting two recent gaur attacks and demanding immediate action to relocate the animals back to forested areas.
A Pattern of Violence: Four Attacks in Five Days
This incident is not isolated but part of a dangerous trend. It is the fourth reported gaur attack in the region since December 26. The series of attacks began when a forest worker, Shankar Sakharam Sukhye from Buzawde in Kolhapur's Chandgad tehsil, was injured by a gaur during his early morning patrol duty on Friday, December 26.
The very next day, on Saturday, December 27, an 82-year-old farmer from Kisrul village in Panhala tehsil succumbed to injuries sustained in a gaur attack on December 26 while working on his farm. The following Monday, December 29, another farmer, Shivaji Chincholkar from Shirale Varun village in Shahuwadi tehsil, was seriously injured in a gaur attack, suffering stomach wounds and currently undergoing treatment at CPR Hospital in Kolhapur.
This rapid succession of violent encounters has created an atmosphere of palpable fear among the rural communities of Kolhapur and Sangli, who now view their own fields as potential danger zones. The repeated incidents have put significant pressure on local forest authorities to devise and execute an effective strategy to mitigate the conflict and ensure the safety of both humans and wildlife.
