Angry Mob Beats Leopard To Death After It Attacks Minor Boy

In another instance of man-animal conflict, a leopard has been brutally beaten to death by an irate mob after the wild animal strayed into a field and injured a minor.

The incident happened in the western Indian state of Rajasthan on Monday. The leopard, who ventured out of a nearby forest, was loitering in a millet field when the villagers found him.

After attempting to chase away the animal, the people tried to trap it. Frightened by the crowd, the feline lunged at the crowd, injuring a boy, reported The Times of India.

Furious at the attack, the crowd began hitting the animal with sticks and rods even though forest officials had reached the village by then. The villagers eventually killed the big cat.

“After the boy was injured, the villagers were uncontrollable and attacked the animal with sticks and rods. The leopard died on the spot,” a forest official told the newspaper.

“Before any attempt could have been made to safely rescue the animal, the agitated villagers killed the leopard. The carcass has been taken to Jaipur for post-mortem,” District Forest Officer Bhivaram Choudhary was quoted as saying in the report.

Villagers in the area say their children are under constant threat of getting hurt as wild animals often stray into neighboring fields.

“The forest department should prevent these animals from venturing out of forest area by providing proper water and food inside. It’s a threat for both humans and animals,” a villager was quoted as saying by the publication.

In 2017, Rajasthan became one of the first states in India to start a leopard conservation program in the country.

According to experts, the vulnerable leopard species are forced to venture toward human habitation due to loss of habitat and continuous forest land, poaching, unchecked tourism in protected areas, extraction of fodder and uncontrolled construction, reported Scroll.in.

In areas close to the fringes of the forest, an encounter often ends with violent retaliation from people as well as the feline. “As we steal their hiding places, the animals have no choice but to come face to face with people,” states Atula Gupta, founder and editor of India’s Endangered, a website highlighting the conservation issues in India.

Last week, a 2-year-old leopard was found dead in a suspected hit-and-run case in the state of Haryana, India. The feline had ventured onto the road from a nearby wildlife sanctuary, and as it was trying to cross the highway, a speeding vehicle allegedly hit the animal.