BALASORE: Forest officials of Nilagiri range under Balasore wildlife division on Friday arrested a 53-year-old man for his alleged involvement in the death of a leopard which was found trapped in a snare two days ago.
The accused was identified as Kumar Singh of Kathagochhi village under Mahisapatta panchayat under Nilagiri block.
Assistant conservator of forests (ACF) Tatini Sethi said on May 12, locals spotted a leopard trapped in a snare inside Swarnachuda reserve forest near Kathagochhi. On being informed, forest staff rushed to the spot and found the big cat caught in a trap laid for wild boars bushmeat hunting. Despite efforts to rescue it, the leopard succumbed to injuries.
Sethi said an investigation was launched and the poacher was identified based on intelligence inputs. On Thursday, a forest team raided Singh’s house and recovered materials used for hunting animals.
The ACF said during interrogation, Singh admitted to have laid the snare in the forest a day before the incident. He was arrested the Wildlife Protection Act. The accused will be produced in court after completion of official formalities. Investigation is underway to ascertain if more people were involved in the case, Sethi added.
Officials said the leopard strayed from the nearby Kuldiha wildlife sanctuary and entered the Swarnachuda forest.
