Odisha forest officials capture wild leopard in Nuapada forests

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Forest department officials captured a wild leopard, which has 'killed' two persons and injured another within a week in Odisha's Nuapada district, an official said.

The 'man-eater' male leopard was captured on Saturday night from the Dharambandha area in the outskirts of Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary in the Nuapada district, Regional Chief Conservator of Forests (RCCF), Bhawanipata, Ashwini Kumar Kar told PTI over the phone.

The leopard was captured in a cage when it entered a house in the Kodapali village after injuring a minor boy, said a forest official of Nuapada district.

The leopard will be around 7 to 8 years old. The wild animal is completely fit and fine as it was captured without tranquillizing, the official said.

The leopard is under observation and it is likely to be translocated to some other forest area or Nandankanan zoo, he said.

The wild leopard has allegedly killed a woman and a minor boy and injured another minor in the sanctuary and its outskirts in the last seven days. The deceased were Ramesri Bai Majhi (45) and Dambarudhar Dharua (7).

The leopard attacked the woman and dragged her into the forest on Friday evening when she had gone to a nearby field to relieve herself, the forest officials said.

On October 30, the minor boy was mauled to death by the leopard when he was playing at his village inside Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary.

The wild animal has also allegedly attacked another minor in the Dharambandha area on Saturday afternoon. The minor boy sustained an injury in the attack.

The forest officials informed that the government has initiated steps to pay compensation of Rs 6 lakh to family members of each of the deceased.

Meanwhile, the locals of Kodapali village sighted another leopard in the nearby area and informed the forest official.