Bhubaneswar: Forest officials arrested two men in Nuapada district on Monday for allegedly poaching and eating the meat of a leopard, a protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act.
The accused were identified as Pustam Chinda (58) and Hrusikesh Chinda alias Tinku (40) of Deodhara village under Komna police station limits. Two other suspects remain at large.
Assistant conservator of forests (ACF), Md Mustafa Saleha, said the incident occurred on Nov 15 when a live wire trap, originally intended for wild boar poaching, killed a leopard. "The suspects skinned and butchered the animal for consumption. Following a tip-off on Nov 18, we raided their residence and recovered its flesh and remains," said Saleha.
Principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF), wildlife, Susanta Nanda, expressed shock over the incident. "While we have heard of big cats preying on humans in desperate situations, humans consuming leopard meat is bizarre and unacceptable in civilised society," said Nanda, calling for social boycott of the perpetrators.
Forest officials have intensified their search for the remaining suspects.