Chitradurga horror: Leopardess strays into village, beaten to death

CHITRADURGA: Villagers of Kurubarahalli in Hosadurga taluk of Chitradurga ran out of patience and attacked a leopardess aged about two-and-half years with sticks killing the big cat while expressing their ire against forest officials who allegedly delayed tranquilising the animal which strayed into a plantation Wednesday morning.

At around 6 am, a couple of labourers sighted the leopardess resting in the plantation belonging to Dinesh. Forest officials were informed about this but the villagers reportedly did not get any response from the officials about tranquilizing the animal. By 12 noon, the villagers started to lose their patience. They gathered at the plantation and decided to attack the big cat in retaliation for the attack on their fellow villagers.

On sighting the animal in a bush, villagers forced it to come out and take shelter in a nearby mango tree. They pelted stones on which the animal lost its  balance and fell on the ground. The villagers then beat the big cat with sticks inflicting serious injuries on it.

By then, forest officials arrived but it was too late to save the animal from the irate mob,  sources told Deccan Chronicle. They said the leopardess was limping which made it difficult for it to escape from the mob. The animal succumbed to injuries on the way to a hospital in Chitradurga.

Forest officials claimed that they had put up a net to capture the leopardess and were waiting for permission to tranquilise the animal but by then the villagers lost their cool and attacked and killed it.