Udaipur, October 8, 2024 - The man-eater leopard, responsible for several killings in Gogunda district of Udaipur in the past few weeks, has eluded intensive search efforts by the first Emergency Response Team (ERT) posted in the area till Sunday night, October 6.  Now, a second ERT has replaced the first team. This new group includes Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (APCCF) Wildlife Rajesh Gupta, Ranthambore Field Director Anoop KR and Keoladeo National Park's DFO Manas Singh.

Meanwhile, late on Sunday (October 6) a police patrol team claimed to have spotted a leopard in a culvert in Kelvon Ka Kheda. The officials were in a vehicle, and before they could take any action, the leopard jumped over a wall and disappeared into the undergrowth. The teams searched the area the following morning but found no trace of it.

The areas under the combing operations, Rathodon Ka Guda and Kelvon Ka Kheda, have been divided into two parts to capture the animal. These are the locations where the attacks took place on September 30 and October 1.

Six teams, led by DFO Mukesh Saini, are operating here including DFO Umesh Bansal and Yagavendra Singh. The headquarters set up at a school is being shifted to a forest department nursery on the Udaipur Highway near Vijay Bawadi. Another centre established in Gogunda has been assigned to DFO Ajay Chittora, who is responsible for the buffer zone outside the core area.

The administration is of the belief that the panther might attack somewhere in the nearby area, as it has not hunted for several days. Keeping this in mind, 13 security points have been selected between Kelvon ka Kheda and Rathodon ka Guda villages, and teams have been stationed there. More than 150 personnel are involved in the search operation. A dummy of a human has been placed in the forest to lure the animal. Six points have been chosen under inspectors of six police stations. Ten officer-rank teams have been formed for monitoring and deploying reserve forces.

DFO Fateh Singh Rathore, who is retired, suggests that teams should expand their search area to a 30 to 40 km radius instead of being restricted to a single area. He recommends deploying teams in 15 to 20 villages and maintaining surveillance even at night.

Retired DFO Fateh Singh Rathore, who is popularly known as The Tiger Man and who is also behind the development of the Ranthambhore National Park,  believes that the search should no longer be limited to a single area but widened within a 30 to 40 km radius. He says that teams should be deployed in 15 to 20 villages, with surveillance even during the night.

Source: Media Reports