Tension has gripped J&K after a leopard killed three children in the past few days. The man-eater is on the prowl in Aachabal area.
JAMMU: Tension has gripped Jammu & Kashmir after a leopard killed three children in the past few days. The man-eater is on the prowl in Aachabal area of Anantnag district. This has forced the wild life authorities to order the killing of the runaway beast.
According to wild life authorities, a leopard has turned man-eater in the Aachabal area. It is sneaking into civilian areas and attacking the children. A few days back, the leopard appeared in the Halkha village at Utrasoo in Aachabal and took away eight-year-old Rayeesa from her residence. The girl’s mangled head and clothes were recovered from the nearby forest area.
“There has been a considerable decrease in the population of herbivorous animals after carnivores in J&K have been on the rampage. And as the food shortage for the beasts is increasing, they are gradually trespassing into civilian areas. This has forced the beasts to hunt down humans,” said A K Srivastava, chief of the wild life warden, J&K.
Last year, around 70 incidents of man-animal conflict were reported from different parts of the valley. Around 13 people have been killed by wild animals in four districts of Rajouri, Anantnag, Baramulla and Kupwara in 2006.
What has triggered panic among the people are the leopards which are entering the villages, taking away children and killing them in the jungles. Alarmed by the incidents, the police and wild life authorities have now decided to kill the man-eaters. Seven special teams have been formed to do away with the leopards.
“The teams would have officials from the police and the wildlife department. Each team will have an expert hunter,” said S M Sahai, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir range.
Wild life authorities have also given permission to kill another two man-eaters in Rajouri. “They too have wreaked havoc and we have ordered their killing”, said Srivastava. Two leopards were killed last week.
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