Maharashtra: Order issued to neutralise 'man-eater' leopard

The Maharashtra forest department has issued an order to neutralise a man-eater leopard that has killed eight people in Solapur, Beed, Ahmednagar and Aurangabad districts, including an 8-year-old girl on Monday morning, an official said.

The Maharashtra forest department has issued an order to "neutralise" a "man-eater" leopard that has killed eight people in Solapur, Beed, Ahmednagar and Aurangabad districts, including an 8-year-old girl on Monday morning, an official said. The leopard has created panic among people living in these areas, which border forests, and it now seems the animal has turned "man-eater", the order, issued by the principal chief conservator of forests, stated.

"The leopard is in the forest areas of Karmala tehsil of Solapur. This morning it killed an 8-year-old girl there. Since it is posing danger to humans now, orders were given to tranquilize or shoot the animal. Our teams are in Karmala," said Rahul Patil, Divisional Conservator of Forests, Pune.