The leopard believed to be responsible for killing three people in Rudraprayag was shot on Saturday evening by authorised hunters. However, on the next day, they were unable to trace the body of the big cat though traces of blood were found at various spots.It is pertinent to mention here that a woman of Papdasu village in Rudraprayag district had gone to collect fodder in the jungle on Friday evening when she was killed by the leopard. Her mutilated body was found on Saturday.
Later during the evening, authorised shooter Joy Hukil, stalking the leopard, managed to shoot the big cat. When the shooter and others started searching for the leopard on Sunday morning, they were unable to find the body. However, they came across blood spots, hair and reportedly even human flesh believed to have been vomited by the big cat. It will be recalled that three persons have been killed by a leopard in this region during a one-month period. Authorised shooters had been trying to kill the big cat for some time. Their task was made difficult because this particular leopard was not venturing into human habitations but killing people in the jungle.
