UP: After spate of attacks, male leopard trapped in Dudhwa buffer zone

Forest officials in India's Lakhimpur Kheri district captured a male leopard in the Dudhwa National Park buffer zone after three human casualties were reported in the area since March 25.

After frequent animal attacks in the area, forest officials on Friday captured a male leopard in the buffer zone of the Dudhwa National Park, a senior official said.

The sub-divisional officer (SDO) of the Nighasan buffer zone told PTI that three human casualties have been reported in the area since March 25, with reports of frequent leopard movements at Sindhauna, Nayapurwa and Sahijana villages in Lakhimpur Kheri district.

To put a check on big cat movement in the villages, forest officials set up camera traps and cages in the area and intensified patrolling, the SDO said.

The male leopard was lured into a cage with a bait near a farmhouse at Latthauha village on Friday morning, he said, adding that it was yet to be ascertained if the captured animal was responsible for the human kills, the SDO said.

The official added that, given the frequent leopard movement in the area, patrolling and monitoring activities would continue with the same intensity.

The captured leopard would undergo a medical examination before a decision is made regarding his release, the SDO added.