Bhubaneswar:
A rare leopard was beaten to death by angry villagers in Gandarpur area after it strayed into human habitation and injured two persons, said the officials.
"Angry over injuries caused to two youths by the leopard which had entered the human settlement, villagers of Gandarpur beat the animal to death using sticks and cricket bats," said city Divisonal Forest Officer J K Das.
The rare animal was first spotted in the morning by some youths in a bush on the village outskirts, near Nandankanan Zoo, said Das. The villagers were agitated after the leopard attacked two youths, he said.
A large number of villagers, armed with sticks, cricket bats, hockey sticks and other objects, gathered near the site and encircled the leopard before beating the animal non-stop till it died, he said.
An investigation has been ordered into the incident and the circumstances that led to the killing of the leopard, said the DFO.
The animal's carcass was sent for post-mortem. The leopard was killed before forest officials or the tranquiliser team could reach the site to trap it, according to the DFO.
After killing the animal, the villagers refused to hand over the carcass to the forest department personnel demanding compensation to the injured. The carcass was recovered following intervention of senior officials, sources said.
The injured persons were taken to Capital Hospital here, said Das. The leopard was suspected to have strayed into the area from nearby Chandaka forest, officials said.