Dramatic jungle chase ends in Navsari village well in Gujarat: Leopard dies, boar survives

A dramatic late-evening chase in Gujarat's Vansda forest range ended inside a 20-foot-deep open well in Navsari's Chikhatiya village.

Navsari district saw an unusual, wild chase when a  leopard hunting a wild boar chased it right into the well and died, even as the boar survived.

The incident took place on Friday late evening in the Vansda forest range where the leopard spotted the wild boar in the deep jungle and began to chase it. The two reached the outskirts of Chikhatiya village where the boar jumped into a 20-ft well.

“The incident came to light on Saturday early morning, when a villager passing by heard some noise from the well. He spotted a wild boar struggling to save its life. The villager informed the village sarpanch Kiran Chaudhary, who reached the spot. The villagers then informed the forest department. Before our team reached the spot, the villagers made all possible efforts to rescue the wild boar, but to no avail. Our teams used expert techniques and lifted the wild boar from the well,” said Amit Tandel, Vansda Range Forest officer.

The villagers found the boar clinging on to the wall even as the leopard had jumped into the water.

Later, the forest department personnel also spotted the carcass of the leopard and fished it out.

Tandel said, “We sent the carcass to the veterinary hospital in Vansda where doctors conducted a postmortem on Saturday. The doctors pointed out that the cause of death is due to drowning. It is difficult for leopards to swim or survive in the water, while wild boar can manage…The leopard was a 4-year-old male and the boar is around two-and-half years old.”

The previous census pegged the leopard population in Gujarat at 2,274 of which 52 were spotted in Navsari district.
Chikhatiya village Sarpanch Kiran Chaudhary told this newspaper that it has now been decided to raise the height of the wall of the well to prevent such incidents. “The well was built a long time ago. This well is around 20 feet deep and around 13 ft in diameter. The water from the well is used for agriculture and drinking. As our village has few other wells. There is no cover but we have a 3-ft-high compound wall,” said Chaudhary.

Kamal Saiyed is a senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, providing extensive, on-the-ground co... Read More