Bijnor: Thousands of people in over a dozen remote villages of UP’s Bijnor district are living under constant fear since the multiple sighting of leopards in the region. It is during this season of sugarcane harvesting that leopard attacks rise manifold. Most of the leopards breed in the thick growth of sugarcane crop and live with their cubs.“As the crop is harvested, the cubs get exposed. The mother leopard, fearing for the safety of its cubs, attacks the farmers and workers in the field,” a cane farmer said. Huddled together, people in the region are moving in groups to escape the wrath of the big cat. Several leopards were sighted last week in Chidiyawali village of Amangarh forest range and Makandpur village of Syohara.Forest department has swung into action and cages are being set up to trap the big cats. According to villagers, they have sighted a leopard near Chidiyawali village and its two cubs in a sugarcane field. Both the cubs were seen away from their mother. And the female leopard was searching for them.In such a situation, there is a possibility that the animal may attack the villagers tending their fields.The second sighting took place at Makandpur village of Syohara area. Here villagers have spotted a pair of leopards. It came to fore when villagers found some scratching marks on some trees. Besides they found their pugmarks also. Villagers are taking all precautions and going to the fields in groups.Confirming the incident, Bijnor divisional forest officer (DFO) M Semmaran said: “Two cubs and their mother were spotted in Chidiyawala village area. It seems she was wandering in the sugarcane filed searching for her cubs. Cages are being set up in both places to trap the cats.”For wildlife lovers, the sighting of leopards is a good sign as its suggests that there numbers are increasing. But, for villagers, it represents danger.

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