Express News Service
RANCHI: Forest officers in Jharkhand are in a repair over issuing an order to shoot the man-eating leopard, which has killed a minimum of 4 individuals, together with three children in Garhwa and Latehar throughout December.
According to forest officers, even supposing a suggestion has already been made by Palamu Regional Chief Conservator of Forest (RCCF) Kumar Ashutosh on this regard, they’re reluctant to concern a ‘shooting’ order as it’d create a ruckus by the animal rights activists.
“Our first attempt will be to trap the leopard as in both cases it is bound to attract ruckus from separate groups of people. Animal rights activists will be up in arms if the ‘shooting’ order is issued against the man-eater leopard,” mentioned a senior forest official requesting anonymity.
People have already began questioning the advice of a capturing order made by the RCCF, he added.
Meanwhile, Principal Conservator of Forests (Wild Life) Shashikar Samanta, who is allowed to concern capturing orders, mentioned that they’re ‘protecting a wait and watch’ to review the leopard’s behaviour.
“No human has been killed in the last 10 days and no any such attempt has been made by the leopard therefore we are keeping a wait and watch. We will wait for another 2-3 days and if the leopard doesn’t get caught we will issue shooting orders,” mentioned the PCCP (Wild Life).
Meanwhile, all makes an attempt are being made to catch the leopard, he added. PCCF (Wild Life) knowledgeable that an animal lure was positioned on Wednesday. They expect the leopard to come back once more on the spot on Thursday evening and can attempt to catch it, he mentioned.
“We will also keep a watch that whether the leopard killed people accidentally or it intends to become a habitual man-eater. All these technicalities are kept into consideration before taking any decision to avoid any mistake,” mentioned Samanta.
Issuing a capturing order would be the final resort, provided that his tendency of man-eating continues for an additional few days, he added.
Samanta mentioned that an knowledgeable workforce has been fashioned to establish the actual man-eater leopard in order that no harmless animal will get killed through the capturing. So far, an order of tranquillizing the leopard has been ordered which itself has limitations, he mentioned.
Notably, on December 28, a 12-year-old boy was killed by a leopard at round 6 pm in Kushwaha village. Earlier, on December 10, the man-eater attacked a 12-year-old lady at Ukamad village in Latehar district.
The second incident came about on December 14, when a 9-year-old little one was attacked in Rodo village of Garhwa district. The third incident occurred in Ranka block on December 19, the place a 7-year-old lady died in a leopard assault.
Similarly, within the first week of January, an aged man was killed by a wild animal, suspected to be the identical leopard, within the Barwadih block below Palamu Tiger Reserve. Jharkhand forest division has put in over 50 lure cameras, one drone and a lot of forest officers to catch the ‘man-eater’ leopard. The division has additionally roped in Hyderabad-based celebrated hunter Nawab Shafath Ali Khan to tranquillize it and catch the large cat, which remains to be at giant.
RANCHI: Forest officers in Jharkhand are in a repair over issuing an order to shoot the man-eating leopard, which has killed a minimum of 4 individuals, together with three children in Garhwa and Latehar throughout December.
According to forest officers, even supposing a suggestion has already been made by Palamu Regional Chief Conservator of Forest (RCCF) Kumar Ashutosh on this regard, they’re reluctant to concern a ‘shooting’ order as it’d create a ruckus by the animal rights activists.
“Our first attempt will be to trap the leopard as in both cases it is bound to attract ruckus from separate groups of people. Animal rights activists will be up in arms if the ‘shooting’ order is issued against the man-eater leopard,” mentioned a senior forest official requesting anonymity.
People have already began questioning the advice of a capturing order made by the RCCF, he added.
Meanwhile, Principal Conservator of Forests (Wild Life) Shashikar Samanta, who is allowed to concern capturing orders, mentioned that they’re ‘protecting a wait and watch’ to review the leopard’s behaviour.
“No human has been killed in the last 10 days and no any such attempt has been made by the leopard therefore we are keeping a wait and watch. We will wait for another 2-3 days and if the leopard doesn’t get caught we will issue shooting orders,” mentioned the PCCP (Wild Life).
Meanwhile, all makes an attempt are being made to catch the leopard, he added. PCCF (Wild Life) knowledgeable that an animal lure was positioned on Wednesday. They expect the leopard to come back once more on the spot on Thursday evening and can attempt to catch it, he mentioned.
“We will also keep a watch that whether the leopard killed people accidentally or it intends to become a habitual man-eater. All these technicalities are kept into consideration before taking any decision to avoid any mistake,” mentioned Samanta.
Issuing a capturing order would be the final resort, provided that his tendency of man-eating continues for an additional few days, he added.
Samanta mentioned that an knowledgeable workforce has been fashioned to establish the actual man-eater leopard in order that no harmless animal will get killed through the capturing. So far, an order of tranquillizing the leopard has been ordered which itself has limitations, he mentioned.
Notably, on December 28, a 12-year-old boy was killed by a leopard at round 6 pm in Kushwaha village. Earlier, on December 10, the man-eater attacked a 12-year-old lady at Ukamad village in Latehar district.
The second incident came about on December 14, when a 9-year-old little one was attacked in Rodo village of Garhwa district. The third incident occurred in Ranka block on December 19, the place a 7-year-old lady died in a leopard assault.
Similarly, within the first week of January, an aged man was killed by a wild animal, suspected to be the identical leopard, within the Barwadih block below Palamu Tiger Reserve. Jharkhand forest division has put in over 50 lure cameras, one drone and a lot of forest officers to catch the ‘man-eater’ leopard. The division has additionally roped in Hyderabad-based celebrated hunter Nawab Shafath Ali Khan to tranquillize it and catch the large cat, which remains to be at giant.
