Odisha: Are Some Poachers Turning Leopard-Eaters in Nuapada District?

One has heard of man-eating leopards, but what happens when man turns leopard eater? Though this may sound shocking, this has happened in Odisha, and is shameful. Three such incidents have come to the fore in Nuapada district of the state that has created an outrage among people.

One of the incidents reportedly took place in 2022, when a leopard got trapped in a noose set up for the wild boars.

There are reports that the culprits killed the leopard and removed its skin, and its flesh was distributed and cooked for a feast. The incident somehow came to the knowledge of the Forest Department a bit late (10 days) and when the forest team reached and raided the house of one tribal man Ramkela Sabar, they said they were shocked by what was revealed.

The chopped head of the leopard, its hide, 20 kg of meat of a wild boar, scales of pangolin, a deadly noose along with some weapons were seized from his place. The authorities arrested Sabar and seven other accomplices.

In October 2023, another such incident was reported in Sinapalli’s reserve forest range near Katingajhela where one leopard fell victim to a similar noose laid for boars.

As it was trying to wiggle out of the deadly snare, the poachers shot him dead with a gun. Again, the same acts followed.

The poachers hung the chopped head of the leopard on a tree along with its intestines. But they took the hide along with them, according to forest department sources.

Last November 13, the department of wildlife Sinapali range raided Dangar village and seized the leopard’s hide and arrested Padma Majhi and Buturam Majhi.

Later, another such horrific incident was reported in November itself, in Sunabeda wildlife sanctuary.

In this incident, four ‘hunters’ were arrested in Patidangar village who reportedly killed a trapped leopard, removed its skin and cooked the meat and ate it.

“This is not about their intent but the psyche that propelled them to carry out the act at such a beastly level”, said Harekrushna Satpathy, an environmentalist.

The question also arises whether the traps laid by the poachers were intended to capture boars or leopards?

“This sudden craze for leopard flesh among a few individuals has not only baffled us, but is indeed mystifying for the human race”, Samir Hota, a local journalist who has been reporting on such incidents for long, told this writer.

All the incidents correlate to traps that were laid for wild boars.

Why was the Forest Department not waking up to such designs of the poachers or leopard eaters.

These incidents have stirred the conscience of the people nearby villages and in the entire region. But the alacrity shown by the forest department was much less than desired.

Again on October 14, this year, another leopard reportedly died the same way and similar acts followed.

Such incidents are taking place with a kind of unfailing regularity mainly in Nuapada district, which has become worrisome for the forest authorities.

The Chief Conservator and Chief Wildlife Warden, Sushanta Nanda, has condemned these incidents, terming these as “very unfortunate”.

 “The department is trying its best to punish the culprits”, he said, and has called upon people in general to “boycott such people in the society so that they realise how beastly they have behaved. That would be more effective than being in the jail”, he said. 

“Normally the tigers and leopards do not venture into human habitations, let alone killing humans” said Nanda, adding that, “until and unless these (traps) were laid with a design to capture big cats and eat their meat. Never heard of in the past in this area”.

Nanda sought the cooperation of local people also to help the wildlife department because it is not always possible for the meagre-staffed wildlife wing to keep track of all the wild animals.

The state forest authorities claimed that they had hauled up all the culprits for the purpose of recreating the incidents in the designated locations and the “confessions were astounding”.

In fact, such horror tales of leopards have been going on for quite a long time right under the nose of all, including the authorities, but in vain.

The writer is a freelancer based in Odisha.