SUMAN K SHRIVASTAVA
Ranchi, Jan. 11: The Jharkhand Forest department is all set to issue a decree to hunt down the man-eater leopard, which has killed at least four persons, including three kids in Garhwa and Latehar during the last one month.
PCCF (Wildlife) Shashikar Samanta told Lagatar24.com today that he has received the recommendation of Palamu Regional Chief Conservator of Forest Kumar Ashutosh to kill the leopard, which has created terror in around 50 villages in Garhwa and Latehar villages adjoining the Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTC) for the last one month.
He said that neutralisation (read killing) of the leopard appears to be the only option now to save human lives because the leopard has become aberrant and is a great threat to human life.
“The leopard’s behaviour during the last few days shows that the beast is roaming around the human habitations only apparently having tested the human flesh. However, it has not been able to make further damage as the people are cautious. But it appears that the leopard will attack the moment it gets an opportunity,” he pointed out.
Samanta said that the report says that there is only one leopard in the area which has killed the four persons in Garhwa and Latehar,” he added.
“Our team had sighted the leopard a couple of days back at a distance of 50 meter so could not tranquilize it. But, it cannot give an opportunity repeatedly. So, if it is sighted now, it needs to be first tranquilized and if that is not possible, it should be killed,” the PCCF (wildlife) said.
It is suspected that all four including three in Garhwa and one in Latehar district were killed by the same leopard. The victims are in the age group of six and 12 years.
On December 28, a 12-year-old boy was killed by a leopard around 6 p.m. in Kushwaha village. Earlier, on December 10, the maneater attacked a 12-year-old girl at Ukamad village in Latehar district.
The second incident took place on December 14, where a 9-year-old child was attacked in Rodo village of Garhwa district. The third incident occurred in Ranka block on December 19, where a 7-year-old girl died in a leopard attack.
Similarly, in the first week of January, an elderly man was killed in a wild animal attack in Barwadih block under Palamu Tiger Reserve.
The PCCF (Wildlife) further stated that a campaign was being conducted to tranquilise the big cat and capture it. Hyderabad-based wildlife expert and shooter Nawab Shafat Ali Khan, his son Haider Ali Khan, Telangana-based shooter Sampath are patrolling the areas where the animal was reportedly seen.
The PCCF (Wildlife) said the matter of leopards turning maneaters is a big concern, since they generally do not attack humans.
“Generally, a leopard fears a human being. So, it mainly hunts goats, dogs or pigs. But once it accidentally captures a human being, mainly kids or people sitting alone in a field, it finds it easier to capture a human being. Moreover, when one is hungry one becomes bold and takes all the steps to find food to survive,” Samanta pointed out.
He pointed out that there could be three reasons for a big cat to stray into human habitation. “First, when they become old and fragile, they do not compete with others to capture their prey in the forest. They also move to villages in search of food when they get injured and become fragile to capture their prey.”
“Third, the natural prey base for the said leopard in the forest has definitely dwindled forcing it to move to human habitations for food,” he pointed out.
Notably, the Jharkhand forest department has put over 50 trap cameras, one drone and a large number of officials to capture the ‘man-eater’ leopard. The department has also roped in Hyderabad-based celebrated hunter Nawab Shafath Ali Khan to control the big cat, which is still out of reach.
