Bahraich (Uttar Pradesh): A female leopard which reportedly attacked people in the recent past was caught by the forest department in the Sujauli range of Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary on Wednesday, a forest official said on Thursday. This is the third leopard caught within five days in the area.
"The leopard was caught in a cage trap on Wednesday evening. It was brought to the Sujauli range office for a medical check-up. It is a female leopard aged about three to four years," Lalit Verma, field director at Dudhwa Tiger Reserve said.
Officials said that the leopard was caught in a cage trap. Later, it was brought to the Sujauli range office for a medical check-up. The leopard is healthy and will be released in the Trans-Gerua forests of Katarnia soon.
Leopard menace is quite common in the area, forest officials said. On September 29, another leopard was released in forests across the Gerua River. It was not a man-eater, forest officials confirmed.
Forest officials said that releasing these big cats in the Trans-Gerua forests minimises the possibility of the animals crossing the river and wandering into the residential areas.
Conflicts between humans and animals often arise during the monsoon season when the animals' natural habitats get flooded and they are forced to make their way to the neighbouring sugarcane farming communities. The official said that since the monsoon is almost over, it is expected that the leopards will move back to the forests.
Verma however said that villagers need to remain vigilant and not sleep in the open. "We are constantly advising them to go out only in groups," he added. Forest officials are also patrolling to avoid any further cases of attack as several cases of leopard attacks were reported in the Bahraich district late in September.
For the unversed, wolf attacks in the area since mid-July led to eight deaths and several injuries. The forest department has captured five out of the six wolves responsible for the attacks.
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