Leopard Kills, Eats 65-Year-Old Man Grazing Cattle In The Forest

A leopard in India reportedly attacked and killed a 65-year-old man, following which it consumed parts of the victim's body.

Forest Department officials in the southern state of Karnataka dubbed the incident as rare as leopards generally do not consume human flesh. This is the first instance of a leopard eating a man in the state, the forest officials said, The New Indian Express reported.

The incident took place at the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS) on Thursday, local media reports said. Authorities said the man was grazing cattle when the leopard attacked him and the other animals.

The Forest Department had earlier tried to stop people from entering the forest after some previous animal attack incidents.

The victim, who has only been identified by his first name Govindaiah, had gone to the forest Thursday and did not return at night. The following day a search was launched to find him.

Forest patrolling staff found Govindaiah's body, with his left leg and neck eaten by the leopard. The animal had also killed and eaten some of the cattle.

The leopard was sitting near Govindaiah's body and carcasses of the cattle when people arrived at the scene. However, the animal escaped into deeper forest when it saw people approaching.

"We don't know what made the leopard eat the man's flesh. Incidents of leopards attacking humans is not new, but eating human flesh is. We are now working towards making entry into the forest more stringent. But there have been incidents in the past, where locals supported by politicians have staged protests and attacked forest staffers. Cages were kept on Saturday at entry and exit points of the area where the incident occurred. Camera traps have been installed all around. Once the leopard is identified, it will be captured," Deputy Conservator of Forests, CWS, Nandeesh L, told the New Indian Express.

Authorities searching for the leopard have put up four cages and installed 80 camera traps to trace the animal.

The forest department is also considering giving compensation to the family of the victim, even though he entered the forest illegally, media outlet Janta Se Rishta reported [Google Translate showed].

Earlier this month, a leopard attacked and killed a 3-year-old child, while she was with her parents. The incident took place in the northern state of Uttarakhand. The child was with her parents in the courtyard of her house when the leopard leapt and snatched the girl from her mother, media reports said at the time.

Leopard and human conflict have seen a rise in several parts of the country, with most incidents being blamed on more forest land being used for farming and people entering protected areas for grazing of domesticated animals like cattle.