Locals in panic after leopards spotted in villages of Himachal's Hamirpur

Hamirpur: The suspected presence of leopards in some villages of Himachal Pradesh's Hamirpur district has sparked panic among locals.

On Friday, a full-grown leopard allegedly took away a goat from a courtyard of a house in the district's Bhareri area.

The goat was in the courtyard when the leopard allegedly attacked the animal around 4 pm.

"It has become difficult to venture out during mornings and evenings due to the leopard menace," said Kishore Chand, the pradhan of Bhukker gram panchayat.

He demanded that the forest department install cages to catch the leopards.

Forest guard Yograj said he received information about the goat being taken away and added that a cage would be installed, if necessary, after a spot inspection.

In the second incident, a leopard allegedly killed a mare in the Sargoon Lachho village of Karot gram panchayat.

The same leopard had allegedly killed or injured dozens of cattle in the past, the locals said.

Sujanpur police station in-charge Rakesh Dhiman said a case had been registered on a complaint by the deputy panchayat pradhan and the forest department directed to take action.

He appealed to the locals to not venture out alone after dark and keep their pets inside.

In a related development, two leopards were sighted in the Sujanpur Tira area.

Earlier, a large leopard was spotted in the area where the Dhaulasidh power project is under construction.

A forest department spokesperson said instructions had been issued to field staff to make people aware about the animals' activities and on ensuring their own safety.