http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/he...d-devours-15-so-far/


Nov 5, 2012 12:09pm
Man-Eating Leopard Devours 15 So Far



A rogue leopard believed to have killed – and eaten – up to 15 villagers, including 10 small children over the past year is being hunted by Nepalese wildlife officials.

The severed head of the latest victim, a 4-year-old boy, was found on Saturday in a forested area nearly 400 miles west of the capital, Kathmandu. The Kathmandu Post reported the boy was playing in the courtyard of his house when the leopard struck, killing the boy then dragging the body into the forest. Police say at least one leopard with a taste for human flesh is on the loose, but that there could be others.

Last week, Nepalese officials offered a bounty of 25,000 rupees (approximately $280) for anyone who could bring in the animal dead or alive. The bounty amounts to several months wages for an average Nepali villager. Of the 15 victims so far, two-thirds are children from remote villages. So far, there is no indication that any adult males have been attacked.

www.huntingreport.com



A Call for Hunters To Handle Man-eating Leopard in Nepal

(posted November 05, 2012)

A man-eating leopard in west Nepal's Baitadi District has killed 15 people, mostly children and women, over the past month and a half, causing a Nepal hunting operator to explore authorization for a foreign hunter to track and kill the problem cat.

According to several reports in the Himalayan Times Newspaper, the Baitadi District's southern region has been terrorized by leopard attacks for more than a year now. In one article two leopards snatched an eight-year-old boy tending cattle with his grandmother, and villagers reported being hunted by more than one cat. The most recent killings prompted authorities to dispatch a joint team of over 100 Nepal Police and Armed Police Force over the past month to "bring in the leopard alive or dead." The forces have been unsuccessful, and a bounty of 25,000 rupees (about $300 US) has been offered to anyone who can bring the animal (or animals) in.

Enter Nepal safari operator Deepak Rana of Tracks N Trails Shikars, who contacted The Hunting Report inquiring if any subscribers with the experience and patience necessary would be interested in traveling to Nepal to track and hunt the killer leopard(s). Mind you, he is quite candid about the red tape and possible mishaps. He writes:

"Can I get the Nepali government to issue a hunting license for the man-eater to a foreigner hunter? I don't know. Can the skin be taken out if a license is issued and the hunter gets his/her trophy? I don't know. First I will have to find someone who is interested, and then strike a deal between us, and only then would I be able to approach the various government offices if the hunting of the cats in question is possible with a foreign hunter.

"There are certain things one has to consider also. For example, should some deal be struck after a hunter is found, the Nepali government process could take so long that the cat(s) get killed in the meantime. Maybe some local hunter kills it after the paperwork has all been done and the foreign hunter not only has arrived in Nepal but is about to step into a 4WD vehicle to get to the area. These are things that have to be understood and discussed prior to arrival.

"The timing is right. It's the cold season, and the leopards have probably vacated the paddy fields, entered the jungle and started to prey on whatever they can get. Also, the police and army may have been unlucky due to the BIG Nepali festival we are going through. We finished with one, and the other festival will be in another two weeks time. Maybe the troops have not tried hard enough due to these festivals, and once they are over they will be more enthusiastic.

"But right now, the opportunity is there should someone be interested to go after it. Everything is up in the air, as I have described in the above lines."

Anyone intrigued by this possibility, should know that only highly experienced leopard hunters should consider this. Perhaps an experienced hunter along with a qualified African PH who has dealt with problem cats and/or man-eaters would be the best combination.

Rana says he took an American hunter sent by the late Lloyd Zeman of Safari Outfitters in the 80s on a hunt for another man-eating leopard around the hills of Pokhara in Sarangkot. Rana's operation was new at the time. "We were unable to kill the leopard, but we have never heard of it since," he says.

Be aware you likely will not be able to export the cat as a trophy. Nepal does not issue CITES permits for leopard trophies. Such a trip should be viewed as an adventure and, if successful, an act of charity for a community living in fear. You can contact Rana at shikarirana@hotmail.com. - Barbara Crown, Editor


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The Maneating Leopard of Baitardi, Jim Corbett arise please.

Any update on developments?

quote:

Originally posted by eagle27:
The Maneating Leopard of Baitardi, Jim Corbett arise please.

Any update on developments?

I read all of Corbitt's books that I could find when I was a kid.

Can you say nerves of heat treated steel?

I feel sorry for any Leopard in that district now with the bounty out making it legal.
In any case, would love to have the opportunity to join in the hunt.

That would probably be the most dangerous hunt on earth.

The leopard could be anywhere - in the forest, among rocks or even in the village - hiding in a ruined building or an old well!

quote:

Originally posted by WoodHunter:

quote:

Originally posted by eagle27:
The Maneating Leopard of Baitardi, Jim Corbett arise please.

Any update on developments?

I read all of Corbitt's books that I could find when I was a kid.

Can you say nerves of heat treated steel?

Interesting to take a flight on Google Earth of some of the areas Corbett hunted in. Obviously the villages he speaks of in his books are bigger now and there are vehicle roads to many of these small towns now but you can still see the type of country he hunted in and features such as the swing bridges he had closed to keep the Leopard confined to one side of the river in his book "The Man-eating Leopard of Rudraprayag".

If you look real hard you can see old Jim striding out on his quests!

quote:

Originally posted by eagle27:

Interesting to take a flight on Google Earth of some of the areas Corbett hunted in. Obviously the villages he speaks of in his books are bigger now and there are vehicle roads to many of these small towns now but you can still see the type of country he hunted in and features such as the swing bridges he had closed to keep the Leopard confined to one side of the river in his book "The Man-eating Leopard of Rudraprayag".

[/QUOTE]

Googleearth does show the country of Rudraprayag quite clearly with the trails leading up to the higher Villagers. No doubt Corbett travelled along these trails.

quote:

Originally posted by Nakihunter:
That would probably be the most dangerous hunt on earth.

The leopard could be anywhere - in the forest, among rocks or even in the village - hiding in a ruined building or an old well!

No different to African Leopard BUT if there are Tiger in the area THEN that would make for interesting twilight walk ins to the Machan .

The irony is that there is likely no soul on earth with a tenth of the experience at this sort of thing that Jim Corbett had. Godspeed to whoever finds and kills this beast.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill/Oregon:
The irony is that there is likely no soul on earth with a tenth of the experience at this sort of thing that Jim Corbett had. Godspeed to whoever finds and kills this beast.

I know some young Zimbabwean men who have killed a heap of Leopard and likely have similar experience in hunting Leopard, possibly more. Perhaps not "small human" eaters but plenty of cattle killers.