Villagers attack leopard to death in Kerala’s Idukki district
The HinduA leopard, which had been on the prowl at a forest-side village in Idukki and feasted on the livestock of the villagers, was killed by local residents on September 3. The incident took place at Mankulam village early when the beast attacked Gopalan, a resident of the Chikkanamkudy tribal colony near here. Even as the man mounted a counterattack using a machete, an angry group of villagers who rushed to the spot, rained stones and sticks on the animal. Praveen Joseph, a block panchayat committee member, said the animal had strayed into the village several days ago and since then had been devouring the cattle reared by the villagers. “We strongly suspect that this animal had been trapped by the Forest department on an earlier occasion before being released into the forest,” he said.