LAGATAR24 NETWORK
Ranchi, Jan 2: The Jharkhand forest department has roped in Hyderabad-based hunter Nawab Shafath Ali Khan to catch the man-eating leopard of Garhwa by tranquillising it. It is suspected that all four children including three in Garhwa and one in Latehar were killed by the same leopard. The victims were in the age group of six and 12 years, according to PTI
Moreover, They have deployed over 50 trap cameras, one drone and many officials to trace the big cat, which killed four children since December 10 in the Palamu division.
Notably, the forest department has advised residents not to go outside after dusk in more than 50 villages spread across three blocks of the district, Ramkanda, Ranka, and Bhandariya.
On Dec 29, the Garhwa Forest Division sent a request to the state’s Chief Wildlife Warden asking him to label the large cat a man-eater. The proposal also proposed the names of three hunters, including former MLA Girinath Singh and Nawab Shafath Ali Khan.
“There are some official formalities to declare an animal man-eater. Our first priority is to capture the leopard through tranquillisation, which is possible only by experts. Therefore, we have consulted Nawab Shafath Ali Khan to help in our effort. He is not only an expert but also equipped with the latest equipment to identify and control an animal,” State Chief Wildlife Warden Sasikar Samanta informed PTI.
Moreover, Khan is anticipated to come in the first week of January, according to Samanta, who is also the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife).
In an interview with PTI, Khan acknowledged that state forest officials had contacted him.
“I was instructed to travel to Jharkhand and assist with tracking down and tranquillizing the leopard. However, I have not yet received a letter from the government in this regard,” he explained.
“The trap cameras have captured various animals in the region but the leopard has not been traced yet. Besides trap cameras, we are also using drone cameras but it has also not found any trace of the leopard,” Garhwa Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Shashi Kumar informed PTI.
A 12-year-old girl was apparently the leopard’s first victim when she was murdered on December 10 in the Chipadohar neighbourhood of the adjoining Barwadih block of the Latehar district. Then, on December 14 and December 19, a six-year-old boy was killed in Rodo village in the Bhandariya block and a six-year-old girl was murdered in Sevadih village in the Ranka block.
