The elusive “man-eater”, which killed a four-year old student of the Delhi Public School after dragging her from the lawns of the house in an urban locality in central Kashmir's Budgam district on June 3, was captured alive on Tuesday.
“Scat samples of the leopard will be collected for DNA sampling. It will be matched with the samples taken at the site where the minor was found dead, to establish if the animal is the same,” Chief Wildlife Warden, Kashmir, Rashid Naqash said.
The leopard, which was being tracked by around 100 members of the Forest Department, the Forest Protection Force and the Wildlife Department, was spotted and captured on Tuesday morning inside the premises of the deputy commissioner's office in Budgam.
On June 3, the animal pounced on the UKG student who was riding a bicycle on the lawns of her house and dragged her away. Her mutilated body was found in a nursery the next day after several hours of search, in which the security forces and their sniffer dogs too joined.
The incident spread fear in the district and kept people indoors after sundown.
J&K’s political parties expressed their dismay at the incident and accused government departments of callousness.
“The animal was tracked using several scientific methods, including camera traps and drones,” Mr. Naqash said.
Several cages were also laid along the trail of the animal, after experts and researchers identified hotspots for around 10 kilometres. Twenty shooters were also put on guard at vulnerable spots.
Meanwhile, the female leopard, which weighed 80 kilograms, was shifted to the Dachigam National park.
