ROURKELA: Amid a continuing surge in human-animal conflicts in Sundargarh district, a juvenile female leopard was poisoned to death in the Tamra range of Bonai Forest Division (BFD).
Reports said the BFD authorities on Thursday night received information regarding the death of a leopard inside the Khasda forest near Kusumdihi village in Tamra range. A team led by Bonai Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Lalit Patra and veterinary personnel went to the spot for investigation on Friday morning. Rourkela-based Regional Chief Conservator of Forest (RCCF) P Ramaswamy informed that it was a female juvenile leopard aged less than three years old.
He said preliminary investigation revealed that the leopard was poisoned by villagers. The leopard is said to have hunted a bullock inside the Khasda forest, and its half-eaten carcass was found by a villager. Knowing that the big cat would return to eat the remaining meat, the accused villager laced the remnant of the bullock’s carcass with agricultural pesticide. Ramaswamy said the leopard consumed the poisoned meat and died within a 20-meter radius.
The RCCF said the accused villager has been detained and will be produced in the court after recreation of the crime scene. He added that efforts were underway to bury the leopard’s carcass after autopsy, following due procedures.
Two women trampled to death by elephant in separate incidents
Jasinda Gudia, a woman in her early fifties, was trampled to death by a wild tusker near Karlakhaman in Lathikata block while she was walking towards her workplace around 7 am on Friday, said Panposh range officer of RFD, Suchismita Das.
She said the elephant was holed up in a bushy spot near the Ergeda forest before it emerged from the bush and trampled her to death. The officer added that there was poor visibility due to morning fog.
In a separate incident, Adarmani Bhumij (75) was trampled to death by another tusker on the old NH 143 near Swidihi of Lathikata block, around 2.15 pm on Thursday. Suchismita Das added that the elephant later moved towards the Nuagaon forest.
From August 14, a total of six persons have been killed in elephant attacks in the RFD limits, including three in Lathikata block and one at Koelnagar inside the Rourkela city.