Three leopards rescued, released in forest areas of Bahraich and Kheri

Pilibhit: Forest authorities in Bahraich and Kheri districts captured three leopards and released them in forest areas after rescue operations launched on Thursday. The animals included a leopardess and her cub that had repeatedly ventured into villages in Bahraich and an adult male leopard trapped in Kheri.

The leopardess and her sub-adult cub, rescued in Bahraich, were released in the core area of Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary on Friday. The adult male leopard trapped in Kheri was released on Saturday.

“The leopardess, around four years old, and her cub, estimated to be one-and-a-half years old, had killed more than half a dozen goats over the past month and were frequently sighted near human habitation in 15 villages within a 5km radius of the Mahsi area in Bahraich”, said S Sundaresh, divisional forest officer of the Bahraich forest division.

He said repeated sightings of the animals had triggered panic among residents. The cub was trapped in a cage on Thursday, following which the mother, while searching for it, entered another cage placed nearby on Friday and was also captured.

In Kheri, the male leopard was suspected to be involved in three fatal attacks in the North Nighasan forest range area since March 25, according to Anuradha Vemuri, principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), Uttar Pradesh. It was trapped in an agricultural field at Kalaila Farm near the North Nighasan forest range on Friday morning.

The leopard was suspected of dragging a seven-year-old girl, Simran Kaur, from her courtyard and killing her on March 25. It was also suspected of killing a seven-year-old boy, Dilshad, on April 18 while he was in a wheat field where his parents were harvesting crops in Nibauria village.

“In a third fatal attack on April 25, the leopard allegedly dragged away and killed Sandya Devi, 32, while she was asleep outside her house in Sahajna village”, Vemuri said.