A leopard killed a 36- year old woman in the forested Maletha village under Ekeshwar block in Pauri district on Monday when she went alone to collect fodder for domestic cattle. The leopard pounced upon her, mauled her and finally killed her. Her half-devoured body was later recovered.
The Chief Wild life Warden DVS Khati gave written order to Divisional Forest Officer, Garhwal division to depute hunters to kill the leopard in Ekeshwar. On the receipt of the nod, one reputed private hunter Joy Hukel has been deputed in Maletha village to kill the big cat that keeps on prowling on the villagers for days.
The particular leopard mauled an eight-year-old girl from near Rewari village only a few kms away from the district headquarter Pauri on Monday too. This is the third incident of leopard attack in the adjoining area of the town Pauri, but the big cat is still elusive despite three cages having been put up in the area where the leopard had attacked several children. Deepening panic, the big cat is frequently being seen in the area.
The deceased is identified as Guddi, wife of one Sumer Singh from Maletha village. When she did not return home the family members tried to contact her on her mobile, but the call was not received. Worried family members along with some villagers went out in search of her and found her half -eaten body half a km away from the village into the forest. On being informed of the incident, Dumdeval Range Officer Shishupal Singh Rawat and Tehsildars Satpuli and Chaubattakhal reached the spot. The angry villagers demanded the leopard be declared a man- eater immediately.
The Ekeshwar block in the Pauri district keeps hogging headlines for leopard attacks since 2012. So far in these few years, leopards have killed nine persons.
Garhwal Division Divisional Forest Officer Raj Mani Pandey told The Pioneer that the written permission to kill the leopard had been received on Tuesday and one hunter has been deputed in the area where the big cat had devoured the woman on Monday. Pandey said the main reason accentuating man -wild animal conflict in Ekeshwar is the absence of agriculture and the abundance of bushes and trees. Besides, as he said, the forest being a civil forest, not a reserved one, is leading to such things. Despite hunting being prohibited, the same continues in the forest. The big cats are stealing into the towns and the villages in search of food as food for them is becoming scarce in the forest, the official said.