Residents of Choti Haldwani-the village settled by legendary hunter turned conservationist Jim Corbett- are living in fear of a leopard that has been preying on their domesticated animals. Members of the two dozen plus families living in this village claim that a leopard has killed the domesticated animals of about a dozen villagers and a number of dogs so far.
The village of Choti Haldwani adjoins the Bor beat of Kaladhungi range in Kumaon region. About 25 families reside in this village.
For some days now, they have been living in fear of a leopard. Following sunset, the villagers along with their children now remain indoors and avoid moving outside.
They state that the leopard often comes from the jungle into their habitation during the night. On Wednesday night, the leopard killed a dog and climbed with it about 40 feet up a tree.
After consuming part of the body, the big cat left the carcass of the dog stuck on a branch of the tree. On Thursday morning, a crowd gathered after the body of the dog was spotted atop the tree. The forest department personnel from Kaladhungi range also reached the village on being informed about the latest kill by the big cat.
They inspected the site and collected information from the villagers. The villagers in turn also demanded concrete measures to protect the villagers and their domesticated animals from the leopard.
