Jaipur, Oct 1 (IANS): Rajasthan Forest Minister Sanjay Sharma on Tuesday said that shooting orders have been issued against a man-eating leopard, who mauled a woman in Udaipur’s Gogunda town in Rajasthan.
“The place where the leopard hunted on Tuesday will be marked and the area will be cordoned off. The leopard is not only hunting people but also mutilating bodies. The wild animal has become a man-eater beast,” the minister said.
He added that after attacking, the leopard moves about three km ahead and then hunts for new prey.
“It is expected that the man-eater leopard will be killed by this evening,” the minister said.
The Forest Department said that more than a dozen teams are preparing to shoot the leopard in the forest area of the Kelvon Ka Kheda village.
There are also drummers with the team, who will chase the leopard by playing drums in the forest. This will be done so that the shooters can shoot it,” an official said.
He added that before killing the leopard, its correct identification will be ensured. “A report in this regard should be given to the committee and the Chief Wildlife Warden of Rajasthan,” he said.
The woman’s death, identified as Kamla Kunwar (55), was the eighth death in the last twelve days in the area claimed by the wild animal.
On Tuesday, the man-eating leopard mauled Kamla Kunwar who was working in her house and killed her on the spot which led the Gogunda town residents to block the highway in protest.
She was working in the courtyard of her house when mauled by the leopard. Hearing the woman's screams, other family members ran outside, but the leopard ran away leaving her body.
Eventually, the Forest Department issued orders to shoot the animal dead.
Chief Forest Conservator Pawan Kumar Upadhyay said that the Forest Department has also caught four leopards by setting up cages in the last few days, however, the attacks are not stopping.
On Sunday, the leopard killed temple priest Vishnu Giri (65) in Rathod Ka Guda of Badgaon police station area.
The first attack by the man-eating leopard was reported on 19 September in Undithal of Chhali Panchayat of Gogunda when 16-year-old Kamla Gameti became the victim.