{gallery}leapordandcow{/gallery}
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2002-10-25/india/27291467_1_leopard-love-story-cow
The love story of a leopard and a cow
AHMEDABAD: I am one. She is three. And we are madly in love with each other. No take from the Manisha Koirala starrer Ek Chhoti Si Love Story this, but a real-life incident from Antoli village of Vadodara district.
Albeit, the lead players of the unbelievable story are not human. It’s the love-story of a year-old leopard and a three- year old cow!
The sleeping habits of Antoli villagers have changed since early October — when they discovered these late evening meetings. Around midnight, the leopard emerges from a maize fields and enters into the village. After surveying the surroundings, it walks towards the clearing where a cow has been tied. A little further, several goats have been tied.
The villagers communicate in hushed tones and stand transfixed for hours to watch this spectacle. The leopard comes closer…there is anxiety in the air. The big cat slowly rolls over and raises one paw and puts it gently on the cow’s head and makes purring sounds! The cow lets out a soft ”moo” in response and licks the leopard! The leopard obviously in a playful mood sits there, in front of the cow as if wanting to be cuddled. The overawed crowd stares in disbelief. Soon its time for separation. The leopard is obviously not very happy with the human presence, barely 20 metres away.
”We have been keeping a watch, but unfortunately the frequency of the leopard’s visit has reduced. Its really surprising the way these animals behave,” says Rohit Vyas, honorary wildlife warden of Vadodara.
Conservator of forests, Vadodara, H S Singh says, ”Sometimes animal behaviour can get modified. In this case, probably because the leopard which has passed the sub-adult stage, lives in a rural area and not strictly a wild environment.’
Hiranmay Karlekar