Four days after five-year old girl Gauri was killed by a leopard in Audal village, the authorities have succeeded in trapping a leopardess in a cage. The forest department has claimed that the big cat trapped in the cage is the one which was declared a man-eater by the chief wildlife warden. The leopard was transported to the wildlife rescue centre at Chidiyapur in Haridwar.
At a time when the leopard-scare had disrupted routine life in this area, a leopard getting trapped in a cage placed by the department has brought some relief for the locals. However, the people have remained uncertain as to whether the leopard trapped in the one declared man-eater. At least three leopards are reported to be living in Audal and neighbouring Paukhal village area, the people are not convinced about the man-eater being trapped.
Officials are also taking no chances and keeping the 10 primary schools and cantonment school in Jaiharikhal will remain closed on Saturday, said the block education officer.
The captured leopardess estimated to be aged about three to four years has claws worn down due to which officials believe this leopardess was responsible for the death and injury in the area.
It will be recalled that five-year old girl Gauri was killed by a leopard at Audal on the afternoon of Sunday, February 28 after which another child was reportedly injured by a leopard in Paukhal area of Jaiharikhal block under lansdowne forest division of Pauri district. From her home in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, Gauri had come with her mother to spend time at her grandparents' home here.
She had gone with her sister to provide water to the cow at a distance of about 50 metres from the home when she was lifted away by the leopard. Her body was found by her family members and villagers at site located at a distance of about half a kilometer from the village on Sunday itself. On the following day, a child in Paukhal village was injured in an encounter with the spotted big cat. The locals have been reporting leopard sighting in different locations of the area prowled by the big cat.
Talking to The Pioneer, lansdowne divisional forest officer Nitish Mani Tripathi said that as a precautionary measure one authorised hunter had been deployed in the area apart from two cages being placed by the department on Monday in the area affected by leopard activity.
However, the authorised hunter could not shoot the big cat declared man-eater as the leopard remained elusive.
Now with a leopard being trapped in the cage on Thursday night, it remains to be seen whether this big cat is the one responsible for attacks on children.