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Uttarakhand: 5-year-old leopard that killed villager, livestock shot dead in Gajald
Pauri divisional forest officer said that the female leopard was tracked using camera traps, pug marks and drone surveillance before being shot by sharpshooter
Haridwar: A female leopard that had terrorised villagers in Pauri Garhwal over the past week, killing a 45-year-old man and livestock, was shot dead late Wednesday night near Gajald village in the Satyakhal area of Uttarakhand.
Forest department officials said on Thursday that the big cat was eliminated during a coordinated operation involving department personnel and two specialist shooters after the leopard was linked to multiple attacks, including the killing of a villager earlier this week.
Pauri divisional forest officer (DFO) Abhimanyu Singh said the five-year-old female leopard was tracked using camera traps, pug marks and drone surveillance before being shot by sharpshooter Joy Hukil.
“Two forest department shooters were already deployed in the area, and they were assisted by two specialist hunters, Joy Hukil and Ramesh Chandra Barthwal. The leopard was shot late Wednesday after continuous tracking,” DFO Singh said.
“Postmortem is underway, and DNA samples are being collected. Prima facie, camera trap images and pug marks confirm that this is the same leopard that killed 45-year-old villager Rajendra Nautiyal in Gajald village on the morning of December 4,” said DFO Singh.
Forest patrol teams will remain stationed in Gajald and neighbouring villages until the situation stabilises, Singh added.
A dedicated tranquillising team has been deployed in Phoolansain village under the Jaiharikhal block of the Lansdowne forest division after villagers reported sightings of a tiger in the area over the past few days.
Residents of Siroli village too reported multiple leopard sightings in recent days. “Two days ago, a leopard attacked a cow and a calf here. A few of us managed to scare it away, but people are frightened. A goat was also attacked near the village’s natural water source. Forest personnel have been stationed in and around the village, and bushes are being cleared by forest staff, panchayat workers and villagers,” said 62-year-old resident Rajendra Singh Negi.
Pauri Garhwal district magistrate Swati S Bhadauria said round-the-clock monitoring has been intensified across all leopard-affected areas. “We are providing fodder to villagers so they do not have to venture into forest zones, especially in areas where leopard activity is high,” she said.
Forest teams across the district are equipped with fox lights, ANIDER devices, drones and tranquilliser guns in high-risk blocks including Pokhra, Rikhnikhal, Jaiharikhal, Thalisain, Yamkeshwar, Pabo, Kot and Duggada.
