Nuapada man-eater brought to Nandankanan Zoo

Bhubaneswar: The man-eater leopard that had given sleepless nights to the villagers of Haladi village under Khariar Road Forest Range in Nuapada district for over a month and a half finally arrived at the Nandankanan Zoo on the outskirts of Odisha capital today.

The leopard which had mauled to death four-year-old child Chhaganlal Pandey of Haladi village on May 26 last and had injured several others leading to panic in the area was captured on Saturday evening in an automatic trap set by Forest Department officials in the forest.

The animal was brought to Nandankanan in a special cage from Haladi village.

The captured leopard will be kept in isolation for about a week and later released into an enclosure inside the zoo, said a zoo official.

“The animal will be kept in isolation for about 12 days. It will be kept in isolation ward for about a week and in quarantine for about 5-6 days and observed. After it gets tamed and acquainted with the zoo atmosphere and due discussion with higher officials, it will be released into a suitable enclosure,” informed Jayant Kumar Das, Deputy Director, Nandankanan Zoo.