The Rajasthan government has issued shoot at sight orders to tackle the growing danger of a man eating leopard in villages of Udaipur district which has killed 8 people in the last 12 days. The killing of a temple priest on Sunday night has created more panic among the people in Gogunda region of Udaipur district. Inhabitants of several villages in this tribal belt are living in constant fear and terror for the past fortnight.
Chief Forest Conservator Pawan Kumar Upadhyay has issued shoot-on-sight orders for a man-eating leopard that has terrorized the Gogunda area of Udaipur.
Angry villagers, mourning the loss of yet another life, blocked National Highway-27 in protest on Tuesday. Although officials managed to calm the crowd, the villagers have refused to allow the latest victim, a woman’s body, to be taken away. Forest Minister Sanjay Sharma has reassured the public, stating that the Army's assistance has been enlisted and the leopard will most likely be killed by this evening.
The Forest Department has issued clear guidelines in response to the crisis. According to the orders from Jaipur headquarters, three key conditions must be followed: The first priority is to capture the leopard alive. If capture attempts fail, the leopard will be identified and shot. Daily progress reports must be submitted to the Jaipur headquarters.
On Sunday, Udaipur MP Mannalal Rawat held a meeting with officials from the Forest Department and local police to discuss long-term solutions. One strategy proposed was to restore the ecological balance by reintroducing prey animals such as deer, sambhar, and rabbits into the forests of Gogunda and Jhadol. The leopards, which usually prey on peacocks, wild chickens, monkeys, and nilgai, have turned to attacking humans due to a shortage of these natural food sources.
While authorities have captured four leopards in connection with recent attacks, it remains unclear if a single leopard or multiple ones are responsible for the recent killings. Investigations are ongoing as teams continue their efforts to resolve the crisis.
The community remains on edge as the operation to locate and neutralize the leopard intensifies, with hopes that normalcy will soon be restored in the affected regions of Udaipur.