The Aryavarth Express
Pune (Maharashtra): In a miraculous escape, a five-year-old boy from Shevgaon Taluka near Sangamner survived a brutal leopard attack after his mother fought off the predator with her bare hands.
Nimish was playing outside his home on the edge of the Western Ghats when a leopard suddenly emerged from the nearby forest and pounced. While other children ran indoors, the child froze in confusion.
“The wild cat grabbed my son by the neck and bit his head, thigh, and ear,” recalled his mother, Revati Shinde, who physically pried open the leopard’s jaws to free him. “Nobody else came to help. I pulled him away myself.”
Critical Condition and Intensive Treatment
The severely injured child was first taken to Pravara Medical Hospital for emergency care and then shifted to Surya Hospital in Pune on September 11 due to his rapidly deteriorating condition.
“When Nimish arrived, he was beyond critical,” said Dr. Sachin Shah, Director of Neonatal and Paediatric Intensive Care. “He had deep wounds to the head, face, and ears. His body went into shock, infections spread, organs began to fail, and he slipped into a coma. It was a near-death state.”
A multidisciplinary team of seven doctors from paediatric intensive care, plastic surgery, ophthalmology and ENT worked around the clock. They treated torn scalp and facial tissues, managed internal bleeding in the eyes and ears, and stabilised his failing organs. He was on life support for seven days and required multiple blood transfusions, along with urgent rabies and tetanus treatment.
“Reconstructing parts of his scalp, face, and ears was a major challenge,” said Dr. Amita Kaul, senior consultant and HOD, Paediatrics. “His young age made management even more complex, with episodes of confusion and restlessness.”
Against the odds, Nimish recovered and was discharged within two weeks, with no long-term complications—an outcome hospital officials call “extraordinary” given the extent of his injuries.
Rising Human–Wildlife Conflict
The incident highlights growing concern over increasing leopard encounters in Maharashtra. Forest department data shows that leopards and tigers account for the highest number of human fatalities in wildlife-related incidents in the state.
Leopard attacks have climbed into double digits over the past five years as the animals move deeper into human settlements. In Pune district alone, at least five deaths were reported between March and August last year.
