Killer leopard of Udaipur captured after five-day op

Jaipur/Udaipur: Two leopards, including one that killed three people in Udaipur district last week, were captured after a five-day operation on Tuesday. Forest teams had set up cages in the district's Gogunda area to capture the big cat that had instilled fear among the local people with a series of attacks.
Upon identification, it was found that the old male leopard, which lacked canines, was the suspected killer of the three victims.Whether the leopards will be released into a biological park will be decided after a meeting.
DFO Ajay Chittora said, “Blood samples of both animals have been taken and sent for investigation. The decision to release the leopards into a biological park will be made after the report."
Gogunda SDM Naresh Soni said that two leopards were trapped in cages set up by the forest department in Umariya village late Monday night. The cages contained meat and fish-scented water, which attracted the leopards.
The leopards were captured between 1am and 2am on Monday night. An official explained, “Normally, leopards have four canine teeth—two on top and two on the bottom—which they use to hunt naturally. Since the old leopard did not have its canines, it could not hunt its natural prey. This was why it attacked humans.”
With this, the forest department heaved a sigh of relief. As there was widespread panic in the Gogunda region and with pressure mounting to capture the animal, an army team was also called in to assist the forest department. A large-scale combing operation was conducted, involving over 200 personnel. Drones equipped with night vision were used to search the area.
Last week, the leopard is believed to have killed three people within a 3-km radius of Gogunda’s Chhali panchayat samiti area. On Friday, 50-year-old Hameri Bhil, who was cutting grass for grazing in Umriya village, was attacked and killed by the animal. On Thursday, the same leopard is suspected of attacking two other people in the region. Sixteen-year-old Kamla from Undithal village and another person, Khumaram, who was working in a field in Bhevdiya village, were also attacked and killed.
These human fatalities prompted the forest department to seek assistance from the National Wildlife Board.