Friday, 08 March 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Damaged canines of male leopard may have pushed it to hunt easier prey
A leopard believed to be responsible for killing a boy in the Galjwadi area of Malsi range on the outskirts of Dehradun on February 25 was trapped in a cage placed by the Forest department on Thursday. The Mussoorie divisional forest officer Vaibhav Singh informed the media that after at least three incidents of leopard attacks, at least 40 personnel of the department had been patrolling in the affected areas to identify and capture the big cat responsible. He said that the leopard trapped on Thursday is a male aged five to six years. Its left upper and lower canines were found to be damaged, which may be a reason for the big cat attacking domesticated animals and children.
It is pertinent to mention here that since December last year there have been at least three incidents of leopards attacking children on the outskirts of Dehradun adjoining the jungle. About two months ago, a four-year-old boy was lifted by a leopard from his courtyard in the Singli village. This was followed by an attack on a boy in the Sondhowali area. The boy survived the attack with injuries. In the last attack, a 10-year-old boy was killed by a leopard in the Galjwadi area. Following this, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had summoned Forest department officials and pulled them up for not being able to capture the big cat responsible for the attacks. Amidst rising human-wildlife conflict cases, the CM ordered the senior officials to also visit the field while also ordering a stay on foreign tours by department officials. The chief wildlife warden had then issued an order permitting the shooting of the leopard as a last resort if attempts to tranquilise and capture it were not successful. The leopard being trapped in the cage in the Kimadi area on Thursday has brought some relief to the local residents and officials.
