Leopard that killed two identified, gets ‘lifer’

11-03-2010
Leopard that killed two identified, gets 'lifer'
Times of India By Vijaysinh Parmar
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Paw Prints Suggest It Was The Same Animal: DCF Anita Karne

Exactly a month after it mauled to death two women in Ishwariya village of Junagadh district, the leopard responsible for the killings was identified by forest officials on Wednesday. Junagadh range forest officials confirmed that the male leopard that was caught from Mandor village in Veraval taluka on Tuesday morning is the one.

"Since the Ishwariya village killings had taken place, our efforts were on to cage the leopard. We had placed cages at different places. After intense efforts, we have now zeroed in on the leopard. Our team of experts have confirmed that that paw prints, size and other signs at the spot where the incident occurred match with the caught leopard caught,'' deputy conservator of forests (Junagadh division) Anita Karne told TOI.

Karne added, "Now, we will write to the chief wildlife warden asking it to send this leopard permanently to a zoo. According to Wildlife Act guidelines, wild animals that are found to be involved in human attacks are thus 'imprisoned' in zoo for lifetime."

The killings, which had taken place on February 10, had created a huge scare in the villages of Veraval taluka. The incident was also the first of its kind when the leopard had dragged away adult humans and killed them.