Pigs have been preferred to feral dogs to entice the man-eater leopard to come waking into the automatic cage. Feral dogs are more visible but difficult to be caught. Pigs on the other hand are subdued than the feral dogs.
Pigs will be used as lure for the man killing and man eating leopard in the jungles of Garhwa district where leopard is either frequenting or has frequented in the recent past making people too scared of it said sources.
Conservator of forest Garhwa Dileep Kumar Yadav has confirmed the use of pigs as a lure to the leopard saying pigs are preferred to dogs.
Yadav explained that Hyderabad ace hunter Nawab Shafath Ali Khan and his team which is camping here, has found it necessary now to use pigs. It is to back up the prey deficiency. If leopard chases pigs, life of man will be safer opined Yadav.
Pigs will be under controlled release at 10 or 11 vulnerable points where possibility of lurking leopard coming in its contiguity is apprehended.
When asked if feral dogs can be the next big choice as leopards are pretty fond of feral dogs, conservator of forest Garhwa said "Catching feral dogs is a very awkward job. People who rear or own pigs have offered to donate their pigs in the larger interest of the common people to get rid of the leopard." He said those who would want a price for their pigs the department will not disappoint them.
Sources said a 10 kg pig fetches 5000 rupees or so in the market of Palamu and Garhwa for the sale of the pork.
The regional chief conservator of forest Palamu Kumar Ashutosh IFS who is chief conservator of forest and field director tiger reserve Palamu said "Our trusted hunter Nawab and his team is on the job. They are doing a recce to all those sites and locations where this leopard has had its man killing and in one instance man eating too." Ashutosh said Nawab his team is surveying the area most minutely and precisely so as to leave nothing to chance for the leopard.
Ashutosh said convenient watch towers (machaan) are being set up atop strong trees to find out the movement or presence of the leopard. The team is expert in setting up the tree top sitters to the watchers of the leopard.
The regional chief conservator of forest Palamu Kumar Ashutosh said the ace hunter Nawab has been fortunate enough to sight the leopard with his sophisticated vision equipment on the evening of January 5.
On being asked that leopards like elephants prefer to prowl after the sunset Ashutosh said "This is very true. This leopard is no exception. The hunter and his team are on the chase of it which has not come into sight so far with naked eyes."
As Friday /Saturday night January 6/7 had been a full moon lit night the leopard too kept itself away from making itself visible to its men on the look out of it, said the conservator of forest Garhwa Dileep Kumar Yadav.
Sources said the anxiety and curiosity about the leopard would continue to rise till it is either caged in or sedated or finally hunted.