‘Child lifter’ leopardess captured in Budgam

June 16, 2021 | Daanish Bin Nabi
After 12-day-long hunt, the leopardess suspected to have killed the four-year-old girl from Budgam, was captured by wildlife officials, authorities said on Tuesday.
The girl was taken away from her residence in Ompora Housing Colony on June 3 and her body was found the next day in the nearby forest nursery, prompting outrage across Kashmir.
A wildlife department official said the leopardess was captured on Tuesday morning inside the premises of DC office Budgam in this central Kashmir district.
“We are sending samples for DNA sampling to match with those already taken from the site where the minor girl from Ompora was mauled by the animal to death to confirm if it was the same animal,” officials said.
Adha, the girl from Ompora Housing Colony was lifted by the leopard on June 3 from her residence and her body was found the next day in the nearby forest nursery.
While ambiguities about the leopard will be cleared after the results of the DNA sampling of the scat samples, officials said the pug marks of the animal and the pattern of its movement indicate that it is the same leopard that killed the girl.
“The leopard will be taken to Dachigam where a veterinarian will carry out the necessary tests as per set protocol,” officials said.
The district administration of Budgam and concerned departments had swung into action after the tragic killing of the minor girl.
Around 100 team members from Forest Department, Forest Protection Force and Wildlife Department have been involved in the project directly monitored by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Dr Mohit Gera.
Besides, the head of Wildlife at SKUAST- Kashmir and another researcher also assisted in capturing the big cat, he added.
The team had established several camps at vulnerable spots including the DC Complex, Degree College and Ompora.
An exhaustive tracking of the leopard and the pattern of its movement was carried out through scientific methods and with the help of camera traps, drones and other means.