A leopard was attacked and killed by a tribal man with the help of locals at Mankulam in Kerala’s Idukki district after the leopard attacked the man, on the morning of Saturday, September 3. The leopard had been attacking the domestic animals in the village for a while, and had killed a couple of goats and hens this morning before prowling on the man.
According to forest officials, the leopard attacked a man named Gopalan from Chikkanamkudi colony, inflicting injuries on his hand. “He had no other option other than attacking it back. Based on our initial inquiry, it is found that it was an attack in self-defence,” the official said.
After the attack, the locals got together and killed the leopard. This particular leopard has been creating trouble for the villagers for a while and the Forest Department had been alerted and was trying to trap it using a cage. However, the leopard had remained elusive.
“Gopalan went to the farmland for work at around 7 am along with his brother's son Somarajan. When they reached the farmland, the leopard, which was hiding behind a cocoa tree, pounced on him. The leopard bit him on his hands and he fell on the ground while trying to escape from the animal’s grip. Somehow he got hold of the machete and hacked the leopard on its neck. The injured leopard collapsed and died after some time," Chikkanamkudi BSS president and a relative of Gopalan Velappan told The New Indian Express.
According to reports, Gopalan has been admitted at the taluk hospital. "I had no other option and I did it to save my life," said Gopalan, presently convalescing at a hospital after suffering injuries in the attack.
(With IANS inputs)