Fear grips Nuapada villagers as 'leopard attacks calf'

Panic gripped the residents of Tariamahuabhata village under Sadar range in Nuapada district after a leopard allegedly attacked a calf on Tuesday morning. 

According to a source, in the wee hours of Tuesday, a calf was grazing near the village pond. It was then the big cat reportedly attacked the calf. However, due to some reasons, it went into the forest, leaving the calf injured. 

Later, upon spotting the injured calf, the villagers informed the forest department. The forest department team reached the village and launched an investigation. They took the measure of the pug mark.  From the pug mark, the team deduced that the predator was a leopard. 

The local residents alleged that 15 to 20 cattle have so far fallen prey to either leopard or tiger. 

When contacted, DFO, Kharair division, Sushil Kumar Tripathy said, “In the area, we are carrying out awareness programmes. Since the Sunabeda wildlife sanctuary is nearby, a leopard has strayed into the adjacent villages and is staying there in the forested areas. We are trying to drive it away to its natural habitat.”

The last incident of a leopard killing a calf was reported from Belardana village under Komna forest range in the Nuapada district on April 1 night. 

According to the villagers, the big cat strayed into the village and killed the calf. The animal devoured the calf before leaving the village. The villagers spotted the calf’s carcass the next morning and informed the forest department.