Five people were arrested by the Kerala Forest Department for trapping, killing and then eating a leopard. The incident took place in Kerala’s Mankulam forest division in Idukki. According to officials, it was for the first time in Kerala an incident of consuming leopard meat was reported. The accused have been identified as Mankulam residents Kollikolavil Vinod PK (45), Basil Garden VP Kuriakose (74), Chempenpurayidathil CS Binu (50), Malayil Sali Kunjappan (54),and Vadakkumchalil Vincent (50).
According to Mankulam divisional forest officer PJ Suhaib the prime accused Vinod had fixed a trap on a private land around 100 meters from the forest at Munipara near Mankulam in Idukki. On Wednesday morning, the six-year-old male leopard fell into the trap. Vinod had fixed the trap with the help of Kuriakose. After the wild animal fell inside the trap, they shifted it to Vinod’s house, where it was killed. Then they cooked and ate the leopard’s meat. The teeth and skin were stored inside the house. The arrest was made after receiving a tip-off, said the official.
"Mankulam range officer VB Udaya Suryan and his team arrested all accused within four hours after receiving the information. The officials recovered nearly 10 kg of meat from the house of the prime accused," said Suhaib.
He also added that the accused have a history of poaching animals. “They hunted the leopard because they have a craze for hunting. They have a history of hunting pig and eating its meat. But consuming leopard is a first.
According to the official, Vinod led the leopard hunting and the other accused participated in eating the meat. Officials are probing if the accused are involved in animal trade. The leopard is listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. If convicted, the accused can face up to seven years of imprisonment, said officials.