TANAHUN, Dec 14: The image of a leopard captured in camera installed for monitoring man-eaters has terrorized the locals of Bhanu Municipality in Tanahun district.
Leopards have been long threatening the security of people living in the municipality. They have been more scared since two of the cameras installed for monitoring the activities of leopards captured the image first on Sunday and then on Monday.
The local authority has placed cameras in Bhanu-2, Nareshwatar and Fusretar to find out the presence of leopards. Manoj Kumar Shrestha of Nareswatar informed that a leopard had strayed into their settlement on Monday.
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"I saw the leopard near Sharada College," said Shrestha. Despite making several efforts, locals here are unable to get rid of the leopard terror.
People are having sleepless nights fearing the attack of leopards. Kedar Baral, chief of the Division Forest Office (DFO), Tanahun, informed Republica that the size of the leopard is different in the pictures captured in a span of two days.
"On Sunday, the picture was captured from a distance which may have made the leopard look smaller. While on Monday, the picture was captured from a close distance because of which it may have looked larger," Baral speculates.
Arjun Babahdur KC, chief of Bhanu-2, stated that locals are hopeful that the leopard will finally be caught as its movement has been closely monitored. He also informed that the leopard took away a goat belonging to Laxman BK of the ward at around 4 am on Tuesday. After finding the footsteps and the evidence of goat being dragged by the leopard, police and forest officials have started searching for the leopard.
Meanwhile, awareness program was conducted in the local unit in order to teach the locals how to protect themselves from leopard. Area Division Forest Office of Bhanu Municipality and Area Police Office, Nareshwatar among others conducted the program on the premises of Homraj Lohani Sharada Shiksha Sadan School.
Leopard killed six years old Bishal Shrestha of Bhanu-3 on February 13, Ranjita Lamsal, 4, of Bahnu-4 on November 15 and Amrit Gurung, 10 of Bhanu-2 on December 1.
