NE NEWS SERVICE
SURAT, DEC 12
A leopard suspected to have killed at least 10 people in ten taluks since last March was shot dead by the forest officials on Wednesday.
According to officials, the big cat was roaming around Dhari and Bagasara taluks in Amreli district and Visavadar taluk in Junagadh district over 10 months.
Officials said that the movement of the big cat was recorded near a cow shelter at Bagasara at around 3 am. The leopard, whose age is estimated to be around 6-7 years, had entered the shelter and preyed on three cows.
The forest team had to patiently wait for nearly 16 hours for the leopard to come out of the cow shelter which they had cordoned off. When the big cat came out, a team of seven veterinary doctors present with the team first tried to tranquilize it. However, it was extremely aggressive and started charging at the forest team. Ultimately, they had no choice but to shoot it dead.
The forest department has already caged 14 leopards in Dhari, Bagasara and Visavadar talukas in the last one month, but this one had evaded all traps.
The most brutal killing was that of 50-year-old farmer Vaju Borad in Munjiyasar village on December 5, officials added.
