A woman was reportedly killed by a leopard in the Terai east forest division of Kumaon region. Her body was discovered by forest department staff and villagers in the jungle on Thursday morning. Officials have stressed that the leopard in this case has not turned into a man-eater.

The divisional forest officer Nitish Mani Tripathi informed that on Wednesday, Bhawani Mehta (45 years) from Khuriya Khata area in Bindukhatta had gone in the jungle of Dauli range to collect fodder. She did not return home till late in the evening which made her family members concerned about her. On being informed about this, the Dauli forest range officer Anil Kumar Joshi along with department staff and some villagers combed the woods on Wednesday in search of the missing woman but were unable to trace her. The search was resumed on Thursday morning. This time, the department personnel were able to find her body in the deep woods. The divisional forest officer further informed that bite mark made by a leopard were found on the neck of the woman. He further informed that the leopard in this case has not become a man-eater. However, the people are being advised to observe basic precautions. Meanwhile, the forest range officer informed that there may have been a struggle between the woman and the leopard. Some hair of the big cat found from near the woman’s body was being sent for forensic examination, he said. The locals are being told to keep out of the jungle, he stressed.

It is pertinent to mention here that in most cases of human-leopard conflict, people have been injured or killed when they were inside the forest area. Despite departmental instructions, the people continue to venture in to the woods to collect firewood, fodder and some other purposes.