Leopard Hunted, Cooked, and Consumed in Odisha's Nuapada District; Two Arrested

A shocking and unusual incident has come to light from Nuapada district in Odisha, where a leopard was hunted, cooked, and consumed.

In a shocking incident, two individuals have been arrested for hunting, cooking, and consuming a leopard in Nuapada district, Odisha. Forest officials seized the leopard's head and tail after raiding the accused's hideout.

According to reports, Pustam Chinda (58) and Hrishikesh Chinda (40) trapped the leopard in a cage meant for hunting wild boars in a forest near Deodhara village. They later killed the animal, skinned it, and cooked its meat for consumption.

The incident came to light on November 16 when forest officials received a tip-off and conducted a raid. During the raid, they recovered the leopard's skin, head, and cooked meat from the accused's possession. However, two accomplices managed to flee the scene.

Mohammad Mustafa Saleha, Assistant Conservator of Forests for the Kharir Forest Department, said that investigations are underway and the arrested individuals will be produced in court soon. Special teams are actively searching for the absconding suspects.

The forest department has appealed to the local community to cooperate in wildlife conservation and report any such incidents to the authorities immediately. Poaching endangered species like leopards not only threatens their survival but also disrupts the ecological balance. Authorities have vowed to take stringent action against those responsible for this grave violation of the Wildlife Protection Act.