13 hours ago
Indian bison kills 68-year-old farmer in Kolhapur
Kolhapur: On Sunday morning, a gaur (Indian bison) attacked and killed a 68-year-old farmer from Kudalwadi village in Kolhapur district's Radhanagari tehsil.
The deceased, Bhikaji Berkal, a former gram panchayat employee, left for his field around 8.30am, expecting to return shortly.
When he failed to return, his son, Shivaji, went looking for him, and found him unconscious with severe chest injuries.
Medical professionals pronounced him dead upon arrival. Following the postmortem, the authorities released the body to his family.
Speaking to TOI, range forest officer Vishal Patil said, "Based on the injury marks on the body of the deceased and the distinctive marks found in the vicinity, we concluded that the attack was by a gaur.
We are investigating what prompted an otherwise shy wild animal to attack the man."
The village's proximity to the forest range, where gaurs naturally inhabit, poses constant risks to local farmers. Earlier, in April, a similar incident occurred when a gaur attacked and killed a 26-year-old man on the Ajara-Amboli road.
