PNS|Anantapur
Shrinking of forest areas is forcing wild animals to stray into the nearby villages in quest of drinking water and food. Some villages in Sri Satya Sai district frequently witness wild animals straying into their villages.
In one such incident on Sunday, the residents of Gudibanda spotted a leopard that strayed into their village. They saw the wild cat drinking water from a tank. A man videographed it which went viral on social media. The leopard strayed into Gudibanda village from the nearby forest. It was spotted when it was quenching its thirst at an under-construction house.
However, the leopard, after noticing the movements of some people near it, ran away into the nearby forest. The villagers of Gudibanda told the media that they spotted a bear on a hill near their village a few days ago which they videographed. The villagers alleged that though wild animals are straying into the villages, the forest officials have not taken steps to protect the villagers from animals. The villagers said that boars damage groundnut crops and they were forced to erect an electric fence to protect the crop.
Officials said that due to the shrinking of forest areas, the wild animals are forced to stray into the villages.
