Bhubaneswar: Following the arrest of 2 poachers, who consumed leopard meat after killing the animal with an electric trap in Odisha’s Nuapada, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) Susanta Nanda on Wednesday called for social boycott for those involving in such ‘outlandish’ activities.
Terming it as unprecedented and regressive, he said that such behaviour has no place in a civilised society. “The big cats hunt humans only during difficult situations. People who kill leopard and consume its meat should be ostracised. They don’t deserve to be part of a civilised society. They are destroying our natural wealth,” he told reporters.
The PCCF further stated that there are over 600 leopards in Odisha. “Though it is not a endangered species, killing it for meat does not augur well for our society,” he added.
Pustam Chinda (58) and Hrusikesh Chinda (40) of Deodhara within Komna police limits had allegedly set an electric trap near near a Drinking Water Project on Sunday, aiming to capture wild boars. A leopard from the nearby forest, however, fell in it and died. Thereafter, the poachers skinned the leopard and cooked its meat. They later abandoned its severed head, skin, and other body parts along the bank of a local river, according to sources.
While the duo was nabbed following raids, two other accused are absconding.