Leopard in city, beaten to death

MAN AND THE BEAST: The leopard was spotted at a bungalow that was under construction in Nashik.

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Nashik: A leopard which was trapped after it strayed into a residential area in Nasik has died, forest department officials said on Thursday.

The big cat, which was trapped on Wednesday bore no external injuries.

On Wednesday, the leopard had strayed into Nasik’s Laxmi Nagar, triggering panic in the area for at least seven hours before officials trapped it with the help of the locals.

The leopard was spotted at a bungalow that was under construction. Soon a large crowd gathered in the area.

As the forest guards, locals and officials gathered, the nervous animal ran amok, creating a near-stampede situation.

The animal was finally cornered and locals beat the animal with sticks before the forest department officials tranquilised it.

The trapped animal was taken to a forest near Pandav Caves, about seven kilometres from Nashik, where it died.

Officials say the leopard could have died from injuries sustained after local residents hit the animal with stones and sticks.

Since December 20 last year, 10 leopards have met with violent deaths.

In a similar incident, another leopard was killed in the by villagers in the Chak Chotipora village of Shopian in south Kashmir.

The leopard, which strayed into the village, had reportedly attacked a child.

The residents chased the animal and beat it with stones and sticks.