Leopard poisoned; one arrested in Maharshtra

Malegaon (Maha), March 18: A farmer from Garbad village in Malegaon taluka has been arrested for allegedly lacing carcass of a calf with poison following which a three-year-old leopard died after eating it, forest officials said here on Friday, March 18.

Gopala Gonde was arrested yesterday and produced before a local court which remanded him to three days custody, forest officers Suresh Darade and B L Gite said.

The incident took place on February 29, when Gonde's cattles were grazing in an open field in the village and leopard attacked a calf, which died later. Gonde, to curb the leopard menace, laced the calf meat with poison.

When the leopard returned next day to prey on the cattle, it ate the calf and died. Subsequently, the accused buried the leopard on an adjacent hill, the officials added. On a tip off, a search was undertaken at the hilly area and the leopard's carcass was found. Postmortem revealed that it died due to poisoning following which Gonde was arrested.

PTI