Ranchi: The Jharkhand forest department has roped the services of Hyderabad-based hunter Nawab Shafath Ali Khan to catch the maneating leopard of Garhwa by tranquillizing it. It is suspected that all four children including three in Garhwa and one in Latehar were killed by the same leopard.
The victims were in the age group of six and 12 years. Moreover, the forest department had deployed over 50 trap cameras one drone and many officials to trace the big cat which killed four children on December 10 in the Palamu division. The forest department has also advised residents not to go outside after dusk in more than 50 villages spread across three blocks of the district, Ramkanda, Ranka, and Bhandariya.
On Dec 29, the Garhwa Forest Division sent a request to the state’s Chief Wildlife Warden asking him to label the large cat a man-eater. The proposal also proposed the names of three hunters including former MLA Girinath Singh and Nawab Shafath Ali Khan.
There are some official formalities to declare an animal man-eater. Our first priority is to capture the leopard through tranquillization which is possible only by experts. Therefore we have consulted Nawab Shafath Ali Khan to help in our effort.
He is not only an expert but also equipped with the latest equipment to identify and control an animal, State Chief Wildlife Warden Sasikar Samanta said. Khan is anticipated to come in the first week of January, according to Samanta, who is also the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife).
Khan acknowledged that state forest officials had contacted him. I was instructed to travel to Jharkhand and assist with tracking down and tranquilizing the leopard.