Bahraich (Uttar Pradesh): The man-eating leopard that attacked and ate a farmer was caught in the wee hours of Monday in Dharampur Bejha village of Kakraha forest range of Katarniaghat Wildlife Division in Uttar Pradesh. The leopard got trapped in the cage set up by the forest department while trying to hunt a goat kept as bait at around 3 am on Monday. The villagers informed the forest department and they took the leopard to the range office.
Kandhai (40), a resident of Maikupurwa village of Dharampur Bejha, situated on the banks of the Naubana forest, had gone to the field near his house on Sunday afternoon when he was attacked by a leopard that came out of the forest. Being a deserted place, no one could hear his screams and the leopard dragged the farmer into the forest. The leopard had eaten the flesh of the neck. The body was injured in many places. The villager who went towards the field raised an alarm after seeing the dead body.
Following the incident, villagers expressed outrage, prompting a swift response from authorities. A team led by Sub-District Magistrate Sanjay Kumar, Police Circle Officer Hiralal Kanaujia, and Forest Inspector Ashok Kumar Srivastava rushed to the scene. The team, joined by DP Kanaujia and the Special Tiger Protection Force, conducted a nighttime search operation.
Acting on villagers' information about the leopard's movements, a cage was set up in a nearby field, baited with a goat. The team monitored the area, and at 3 am on Monday, the leopard was successfully trapped. The Forest Department was notified, and the leopard was transported to the range office.
Despite being caged, the leopard continued to roar. According to Forest Officer B Shivshankar, a health examination will be conducted before releasing the leopard into a suitable forest range. The people of the area were in panic due to the continuous attacks of the man-eater leopard.
