Authorities suspected that the leopard's disability made it a man-eater (Representational image)
A female leopard which was shot dead at the Rajaji Tiger Reserve earlier this month was a man-eater, a report confirmed today.
A female leopard, aged around 6-7, was shot dead around 3.30 am on July 11 in the Motichur range of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve (RTR) after authorities suspected it to be a man-eater.
Locks of hair found in the leopard's abdomen during post-mortem had been sent to the Wildlife Institute of India for forensic tests. The institute has confirmed that the locks of hair found in its abdomen were human, RTR Director Sanatan Sonkar said.
"The DNA examination has confirmed it was a man-eating leopard. Forensic evidences of consumption of human flesh by the big cat were found in the test," he said.
She was spotted walking with a limp near Khand village where people displaced by the Tehri dam reside.
On close examination, her right paw was found to be severed which made it walk with a limp. The RTR authorities suspected that the disability made the big cat a man-eater as it found it difficult to hunt in the forests, he said.
The female leopard was suspected to have killed a number of people in villages neighbouring the reserve.