THANE: In a dramatic encounter caught on camera, a pet dog put up a fierce fight against a leopard that strayed into a farmhouse in Sakhare village in Thane district’s Murbad taluka on Monday evening, successfully forcing the big cat to retreat.The incident took place around 7:22pm at a farmhouse owned by Vijay Patil, brother of former Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) MLA Pramod (Raju) Patil.CCTV footage of the incident, which has gone viral on social media, shows the leopard stealthily entering the farmhouse veranda from the adjoining forested patch and attempting to pounce on the pet canine, named Rocky, from behind.Alerted by the ambush, Rocky initially scrambled away to gain his footing before turning around to confront the predator head-on.A tense, intense scuffle ensued right on the porch, with the canine refusing to back down. After a prolonged face-off, the exhausted predator gave up and fled into the darkness.Rocky sustained minor injuries in the scuffle but is reported to be safe and out of danger.The incident has triggered panic among residents in Sakhare and nearby villages, where human-wildlife encounters have been steadily rising due to settlements and farmhouses bordering thick Murbad forest cover.With the big cat now entering residential compounds, alarmed locals have urged the forest department to step up vigil and immediately place cages to capture the leopard.
