Pauri – The Forest Department has issued an order to capture or, if required, eliminate a leopard declared man-eater in Pauri Garhwal after a recent fatal attack. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) Ranjan Kumar Mishra stated that the leopard will first be identified and every attempt will be made to trap or tranquillize it. If these measures fail, the department has authorized its killing.
According to the order, the incident has created fear among residents after a man died due to the leopard attack. Forest Conservator Garhwal Circle and the Divisional Forest Officer have been permitted to deploy cages and tranquillization teams within the Pauri Range. Camera traps and drone-based monitoring will also be used to trace the animal.
The directive clarifies that shooting the leopard is the final step, and only departmental personnel will be allowed to carry out the action if necessary.
The attack occurred in Ghazald village of Pauri, where a youth was killed earlier, leading authorities to declare a holiday for schools up to class 12. Local people continue to demand stronger wildlife-human conflict management, arguing that the department often responds only after casualties instead of ensuring preventive measures.
