Expert shooter roped in to hunt ‘man-eater’ leopard

The Rajasthan forest department on Wednesday roped in experienced sharp-shooter Nawab Shafath Ali Khan from Hyderabad to hunt down a “man-eater” leopard that has claimed at least eight lives in the last two weeks in Udaipur, officials said.
The development comes after principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF), Rajasthan Wildlife, Pawan Kumar Upadhyay, on Tuesday issued orders to shoot the man-eater big cat on sight on.
The department has formed a 12-shooter team for the mission, deputy conservator (Udaipur North) Ajay Chittora said. “The team comprises shooters from the forest, police, and army sectors, with Khan being the only one from outside the state considering his special experience in the field,” Chittora said.
Chittora also added that five shooters in the 12-member team are only the permanent ones from the forest department while the rest seven are appointed from the police and army working on shifts and are only assist the main shooters.
The move comes amid growing fear in several villages in Gogunda tehsil where the leopard has reportedly claimed at least eight lives in the last two weeks. After the latest attack on Tuesday when a woman was killed outside her house in Kelwa Ka Kheda village, the state administration declared the big cat a “man-eater” and directed the Udaipur forest department to take necessary actions to eliminate it.
“As per our findings, the leopard has been killing the people across Chhali, Bagrunda, Madar, and Majawat villages. It is now habituated in hunting the people and therefore it is not possible to leave it somewhere else. Considering the situation, the officials decided to kill the leopard,” the forest department said in an official order on Wednesday.
The order also directed the Udaipur unit to first tranquilise the animal and verify its identity before killing it.
“Forest officials from across Jodhpur, Rajsamand, Kumbhalgarh, and Bakhoda were also appointed to visit the field and assist the shooting team to capture the leopard. More than 100 officials as well as a fresh team from Ranthambore and Mukunda Tiger Reserve also reached Gogunda on Wednesday morning to carry out the operation,” Sunil Chaudhary, forest ranger of Udaipur, said.
Meanwhile, Khan arrived at Gogunda on Wednesday morning and gathered information about the recent incidents involving the “man-eater” leopard before heading out to the forest with the team of shooters around 1.30 pm, officials said.
“Rajasthan forest department officials are putting their best effort to capture the leopard. I have discussed the situation with other shooters and officials as well and planned a few strategies. We hope we will nab the leopard soon,” Khan told reporters before heading to the jungle.
Khan (66) has been roped in by various state governments in his four-decade career to track and eliminate man-eating wild animals, including tigers, leopards, elephants, wild boars, and nilgai (blue bulls).
Besides Khan, five sharpshooters from the forest department — Vanshi Lal, Surendra Singh, DP Sharma, Sher Singh Meena, and Ali Khan — were also present in Gogunda. “All of them are from Rajasthan and are experienced in tranquilising the animals. DP Sharma, who is an official from Ranthambore, has tranquilised over 300 tigers in the last few years,” an official said.
As part of the operation, 12 local shooters have already been deployed in the area, and additional support from police, army, and forest department from Jodhpur, Rajsamand, and Udaipur has been organised, officials said.