Thaindian News

Lucknow, Nov 18 (IANS) A full-grown man-eater leopard, who had reportedly devoured three children and attacked at least half a dozen people, was trapped alive by a wildlife enthusiast near Katarniya Ghat sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district Friday, an official said.

“The trap was laid by Bhupendra Singh Rana, who had volunteered to undertake the operation after local wildlife authorities invited help from people in the neighbourhood to end the menace caused by the feline,” Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Wildlife Conservator B.K. Patnaik told IANS.

The trap was laid in a camouflaged iron cage into which the animal was enticed with a goat as bait, in the Rana Farm area, he said.

Describing it as a big catch, Patnaik said: “The leopard had spelt terror in several villages in and around the area where it had been on the prowl over the past two months.”

He ruled out the possibility of releasing the leopard in the wild. “Considering that it has killed three people and left at least half a dozen other human beings badly injured, we are left with no option but to pack it off to some zoo.”

Bahraich, which shares a border with Nepal, is around 130 km from Lucknow.