A Buddhist monk has been <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/watch-leopard-enters-playschool-in-mumbai-26448">killed by a leopard</a> while meditating in a protected forest for the big cats, the fifth such attack in the area this month, Indian police said Thursday.

Rahul Walke Bodhi was seated beneath a tree in Ramdegi forest in western India for morning prayers on Tuesday when the leopard pounced.&nbsp;

The 35-year-old monk was fatally injured, police in Maharashtra state said.&nbsp;

Two other devotees meditating with him at the time escaped unscathed to alert police, who started a search for his body.

"His badly mauled body was found further into the forest, indicating the animal tried to drag it along," Krisna Tiwari, a senior police officer in the region, told AFP.

The forest, roughly 825 kilometres (510 miles) west from the state capital Mumbai, falls within a protected reserve for big cats where four other fatal attacks have occurred in recent weeks.

The monks, in the area for an annual prayer conference, had ignored warnings from local officials about venturing too far into the forest, police said.

The attack followed a separate fatal incident on Monday, when shopkeeper Sandeep Arjun was killed outside his stall on the outskirts of the forest.

It was unclear whether the same leopard was responsible for both attacks.&nbsp;

Three more deaths attributed to leopards and tigers have been reported around the reserve in the past month, officials say.

Official estimates suggest there are between 12,000 and 14,000 leopards in India.&nbsp;

Urban expansion has reduced their numbers as forest habitats shrink, bringing them into closer contact -- and conflict -- with humans.

An estimated 431 leopards were killed in 2017, according to government figures. Most were killed by poachers for their hides and body parts.

There are no figures on the number of humans killed by leopards, but experts say there are hundreds of deaths each year.

A Buddhist monk has been killed by a leopard while meditating in a protected forest for the big cats, the fifth such attack in the area this month, Indian police said Thursday.

A Buddhist monk has been killed by a leopard while meditating in a protected forest for the big cats, the fifth such attack in the area this month, Indian police said Thursday. Rahul Walke Bodhi was seated beneath a tree in Ramdegi forest in western India for morning prayers on Tuesday when the leopard pounced. The 35-year-old monk was fatally injured, police in Maharashtra state said. Two other devotees meditating with him at the time escaped unscathed to alert police, who started a search for his body. "His badly mauled body was found further into the forest, indicating the animal tried to drag it along," Krisna Tiwari, a senior police officer in the region, told AFP. The forest, roughly 825 kilometres (510 miles) west from the state capital Mumbai, falls within a protected reserve for big cats where four other fatal attacks have occurred in recent weeks. The monks, in the area for an annual prayer conference, had ignored warnings from local officials about venturing too far into the forest, police said. The attack followed a separate fatal incident on Monday, when shopkeeper Sandeep Arjun was killed outside his stall on the outskirts of the forest. It was unclear whether the same leopard was responsible for both attacks. Three more deaths attributed to leopards and tigers have been reported around the reserve in the past month, officials say. Official estimates suggest there are between 12,000 and 14,000 leopards in India. Urban expansion has reduced their numbers as forest habitats shrink, bringing them into closer contact -- and conflict -- with humans. An estimated 431 leopards were killed in 2017, according to government figures. Most were killed by poachers for their hides and body parts. There are no figures on the number of humans killed by leopards, but experts say there are hundreds of deaths each year.

Meditating Buddhist monk killed by leopard in Maharashtra forest

Raveena Tandon is now the new brand ambassador of Mumbai’s Sanjay Gandhi National Park. park officials announced on Tuesday as part of an event that all the leopards and lions in the park are now adopted by a private company.&nbsp;

Along with becoming the brand ambassador, Raveena also adopted a leopard at the rescue centre.&nbsp;

“Our brand ambassador adopted a leopard for ₹1.2 lakh. Eight other leopards, as well as all the lions, were also adopted...,” said Anwar Ahmed, director of forest, SGNP.

As part of the adoption, the officials revealed that all expenses related to the upkeep of the animals will be borne by those who adopt them for a year. This exercise was started after the maintenance cost of the animals at the centre became too much to handle by the forest department. The department then issued a resolution in 2014 which made it possible for citizens and companies in the city to adopt animals for a year upon paying a certain fee.

Raveena Tandon is now the new brand ambassador of Mumbai’s Sanjay Gandhi National Park. park officials announced on Tuesday as part of an event that all the leopards and lions in the park are now adopted by a private company.

Raveena Tandon is now the new brand ambassador of Mumbai’s Sanjay Gandhi National Park. park officials announced on Tuesday as part of an event that all the leopards and lions in the park are now adopted by a private company. Along with becoming the brand ambassador, Raveena also adopted a leopard at the rescue centre. “Our brand ambassador adopted a leopard for ₹1.2 lakh. Eight other leopards, as well as all the lions, were also adopted...,” said Anwar Ahmed, director of forest, SGNP. As part of the adoption, the officials revealed that all expenses related to the upkeep of the animals will be borne by those who adopt them for a year. This exercise was started after the maintenance cost of the animals at the centre became too much to handle by the forest department. The department then issued a resolution in 2014 which made it possible for citizens and companies in the city to adopt animals for a year upon paying a certain fee.

Raveena Tandon appointed brand ambassador for Mumbai’s national park, adopts a leopard

Around eight hectares of forest land was burnt to ashes by angry villagers in Uttarakhand's Bageshwar district after a leopard mauled to death a seven-year-old boy, the second such incident in three months, police said.

The attack took place on Monday evening when the boy had gone out of his home in Harinagri village to answer nature's call while his mother was in the kitchen, Chief Conservator of Forest BP Gupta told PTI.

The leopard dragged the boy inside the forest surrounding the house. The next morning, his half-eaten body was recovered by villagers 250 metres away, Gupta said.

"Angry villagers numbering around 4000-5000 set on fire eight hectares of van panchayat land in the village yesterday," Gupta, who is also the nodal officer for forest fires said quoting Bageshwar DFO RK Singh.

The fire could not be extinguished as irate villagers did not allow outsiders to enter the village, he said.

The villagers also blamed the same leopard for killing a four-year-old boy in the area in March this year.

"Since it was the second such incident in the area, the villagers may have burnt down the forest to clear the thickets and destroy the big cat's hideout to save themselves," the official said.

According to Gupta, the leopard has been declared a man-eater and an order to kill it has been issued, Gupta said.&nbsp;

The villagers also blamed the same leopard for killing a four-year-old boy in the area in March this year.

Around eight hectares of forest land was burnt to ashes by angry villagers in Uttarakhand's Bageshwar district after a leopard mauled to death a seven-year-old boy, the second such incident in three months, police said. The attack took place on Monday evening when the boy had gone out of his home in Harinagri village to answer nature's call while his mother was in the kitchen, Chief Conservator of Forest BP Gupta told PTI. The leopard dragged the boy inside the forest surrounding the house. The next morning, his half-eaten body was recovered by villagers 250 metres away, Gupta said. "Angry villagers numbering around 4000-5000 set on fire eight hectares of van panchayat land in the village yesterday," Gupta, who is also the nodal officer for forest fires said quoting Bageshwar DFO RK Singh. The fire could not be extinguished as irate villagers did not allow outsiders to enter the village, he said. The villagers also blamed the same leopard for killing a four-year-old boy in the area in March this year. "Since it was the second such incident in the area, the villagers may have burnt down the forest to clear the thickets and destroy the big cat's hideout to save themselves," the official said. According to Gupta, the leopard has been declared a man-eater and an order to kill it has been issued, Gupta said.

Uttarakhand: Villagers burn forest land after leopard killed a 7- year-old

Tension prevailed at Indore&#39;s Palhar Nagar area on Friday morning when a leopard strayed into the locality and injured four people.&nbsp;

The leopard was spotted at a construction site and later, it entered the house of a local businessman. The big cat sat there for about three hours and attacked&nbsp;people in the vicinity.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a>: Leopard strays into residential area in Indore, injures 3 people. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Madhya?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Madhya</a> Pradesh (09.03.2018) <a href="https://t.co/70jw2bg3Fs">pic.twitter.com/70jw2bg3Fs</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/972274958163378176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Officials from the local zoo reached the spot even as panic prevailed in the locality.&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;The forest officials spread a net to capture it, but sensing the trap, the beast jumped outside and attacked SDO (forest) RC Choubey and ran towards Patodi residence where it sat for hours on the stairs.

The forest department initially fired two shots at the animal but both the pellets missed the target. The third shot hit the leopard. The tranquilizer used in the process was given according to the size of the leopard but it was insufficient,&rdquo; reports said quoting zoo in-charge and veterinarian Uttam Yadav said.

The big cat then attacked another member of the forest department and again went inside the house where he was given another shot of tranquilizer.&nbsp;

Half-an-hour after the second dose, the leopard became unconscious and was trapped in a steel cage by the forest officials who carried it away from the locality amidst loud cheering from the local residents.&nbsp;

The leopard came into a construction site and into a residential home of a local businessman. He sat there for about three hours and kept attacking the people nearby.

Tension prevailed at Indore's Palhar Nagar area on Friday morning when a leopard strayed into the locality and injured four people. The leopard was spotted at a construction site and later, it entered the house of a local businessman. The big cat sat there for about three hours and attacked people in the vicinity. #WATCH: Leopard strays into residential area in Indore, injures 3 people. #Madhya Pradesh (09.03.2018) pic.twitter.com/70jw2bg3Fs — ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2018 × Officials from the local zoo reached the spot even as panic prevailed in the locality. The forest officials spread a net to capture it, but sensing the trap, the beast jumped outside and attacked SDO (forest) RC Choubey and ran towards Patodi residence where it sat for hours on the stairs. The forest department initially fired two shots at the animal but both the pellets missed the target. The third shot hit the leopard. The tranquilizer used in the process was given according to the size of the leopard but it was insufficient,” reports said quoting zoo in-charge and veterinarian Uttam Yadav said. The big cat then attacked another member of the forest department and again went inside the house where he was given another shot of tranquilizer. Half-an-hour after the second dose, the leopard became unconscious and was trapped in a steel cage by the forest officials who carried it away from the locality amidst loud cheering from the local residents.

Watch: Leopard strays into residential area in Indore, injures 4

Panic loomed over the Himachal Raj Bhawan on Saturday evening after a leopard was spotted roaming the lawns of the compound.&nbsp;

The leopard was spotted three to four times.&nbsp;

A guard managed to take some pictures of the big cat.&nbsp;

Wildlife staff were informed by Raj Bhavan officials, who cordoned off the area and shut the main gate&nbsp;to stop the leopard from venturing any further.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Himachal Pradesh: Leopard seen wandering inside Raj Bhavan campus in Shimla <a href="https://t.co/rM1VGCbVJA">pic.twitter.com/rM1VGCbVJA</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/939483560704016384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Shashikant Sharma, adviser to Governor Acharya Dev Vrat, said&nbsp;&quot;a solar electric fence is being put up to keep the leopard away from&nbsp; Raj Bhawan,&quot; ANI reported

(With inputs from ANI)

The leopard was spotted three to four times in the compound

Panic loomed over the Himachal Raj Bhawan on Saturday evening after a leopard was spotted roaming the lawns of the compound. The leopard was spotted three to four times. A guard managed to take some pictures of the big cat. Wildlife staff were informed by Raj Bhavan officials, who cordoned off the area and shut the main gate to stop the leopard from venturing any further. Himachal Pradesh: Leopard seen wandering inside Raj Bhavan campus in Shimla pic.twitter.com/rM1VGCbVJA — ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 × Shashikant Sharma, adviser to Governor Acharya Dev Vrat, said "a solar electric fence is being put up to keep the leopard away from Raj Bhawan," ANI reported (With inputs from ANI)

Panic at Shimla Raj Bhavan after leopard is spotted

The leopard that strayed into Maruti&#39;s Manesar plant Thursday morning has finally been found.&nbsp;

It took forest officials some 36 hours to capture the big cat.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Haryana: Leopard that entered Maruti Suzuki&#39;s plant in Manesar has been captured by forest officials after more than 30 hours. <a href="https://t.co/hQLVmCgqO5">pic.twitter.com/hQLVmCgqO5</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/916259730519089153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

The leopard was seen walking the hallways of the plant at around 4 am Thursday morning.

Maruti -- which says it makes a car every 12 seconds -- had to stop production at its Manesar plant when the animal could not be found.&nbsp;

On Thursday, forest officials&nbsp;finally brought out live goats to try and lure the leopard out.&nbsp;

Forest officials had said Thursday that since leopards are nocturnal -- they rest by day, and come out at night to hunt -- they only expected to catch the cat at night.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Haryana: Forest department officials bring goats to lure a leopard hiding inside the Maruti Suzuki&#39;s plant in Manesar. <a href="https://t.co/y3qgTzzHzw">pic.twitter.com/y3qgTzzHzw</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/915899637772410881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

The big cat was found inside the plant&#39;s engine department Thursday morning.

The plant premises were sealed off, and police and forest officials launched a search operation.&nbsp;

A police official told ANI that workers arriving for the morning shift were asked to wait outside.

Finally, the morning shift at the plant -- staffed by some 2.000 workers -- was cancelled.&nbsp;

Then, so was the afternoon shift.&nbsp;

A police offical told PTI that a forest department team was called in to find the animal.&nbsp;

The team came armed with nets and tranquiliser guns -- but have not been able to find the animal.&nbsp;

The Times of India reported that the leopard-rescue operation was expected to continue till nighttime.&nbsp;

&quot;It is a very tricky situation. There are thousands of machineries installed on 2 meter-high elevated platforms. I don&#39;t think it is possible to rescue the leopard. The leopard generally hides itself during the day. It is expected to come out at night,&quot; TOI reported a wildlife inspector carrying out the rescue operation as saying.

TOI reported Vinod Kumar, conservator of forests, Gurgaon circle, as saying &quot;We hope that the leopard is rescued at the earliest. However, it is a little difficult task as the area is very big. At night, the leopard generally comes out. We might need to put live bait traps in the evening/night. As there are cameras on all exits, we should be able to track its exit.&quot;

Production at the plant had ground to a halt

The leopard that strayed into Maruti's Manesar plant Thursday morning has finally been found. It took forest officials some 36 hours to capture the big cat. Haryana: Leopard that entered Maruti Suzuki's plant in Manesar has been captured by forest officials after more than 30 hours. pic.twitter.com/hQLVmCgqO5 — ANI (@ANI) October 6, 2017 × The leopard was seen walking the hallways of the plant at around 4 am Thursday morning. Maruti -- which says it makes a car every 12 seconds -- had to stop production at its Manesar plant when the animal could not be found. On Thursday, forest officials finally brought out live goats to try and lure the leopard out. Forest officials had said Thursday that since leopards are nocturnal -- they rest by day, and come out at night to hunt -- they only expected to catch the cat at night. Haryana: Forest department officials bring goats to lure a leopard hiding inside the Maruti Suzuki's plant in Manesar. pic.twitter.com/y3qgTzzHzw — ANI (@ANI) October 5, 2017 × The big cat was found inside the plant's engine department Thursday morning. The plant premises were sealed off, and police and forest officials launched a search operation. A police official told ANI that workers arriving for the morning shift were asked to wait outside. Finally, the morning shift at the plant -- staffed by some 2.000 workers -- was cancelled. Then, so was the afternoon shift. A police offical told PTI that a forest department team was called in to find the animal. The team came armed with nets and tranquiliser guns -- but have not been able to find the animal. The Times of India reported that the leopard-rescue operation was expected to continue till nighttime. "It is a very tricky situation. There are thousands of machineries installed on 2 meter-high elevated platforms. I don't think it is possible to rescue the leopard. The leopard generally hides itself during the day. It is expected to come out at night," TOI reported a wildlife inspector carrying out the rescue operation as saying. TOI reported Vinod Kumar, conservator of forests, Gurgaon circle, as saying "We hope that the leopard is rescued at the earliest. However, it is a little difficult task as the area is very big. At night, the leopard generally comes out. We might need to put live bait traps in the evening/night. As there are cameras on all exits, we should be able to track its exit."

WATCH: Leopard that strayed into Maruti's Manesar plant found after 36 hours

Imagine being locked inside a hotel room with a leopard for company. 
 
A couple from Meerut, a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,&nbsp;vacationing in the sylvan surroundings of Nainital, a popular Himalayan tourist destination in the Kumaon region of India&rsquo;s Uttarakhand state,&nbsp;found a leopard pacing about in their room early in the morning. 
 
The big cat smashed the window pane to get into the room as Sumit Rathore and his wife Shivani cowered behind the bed. 
 
As the animal walked into the washroom, Sumit bolted the door from outside, locking in the big cat and raised an alarm, Ranger Pramod Tiwari said. 
 
A forest department team arrived with a cage and tranquiliser gun to trap the leopard but it jumped out of the washroom ventilator and vanished into the nearby forest, he said. 
 
Apparently, the one-and-half-year-old leopard had entered the hotel room after being chased by wild dogs, the ranger said. 
 
The hotel where the incident took place is located in Tallital area. 
 
Earlier this month, a black Himalayan bear was spotted roaming the streets of Nainital in the wee hours. 
 
It broke the window pane of a hotel room where some tourists were staying. 
 
After the alarm was raised, it got into a lake and swam across it, before disappearing into the Ayarpatta jungle.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI)

Husband manages to lock the cat in the bathroom, then raises the alarm

Imagine being locked inside a hotel room with a leopard for company. A couple from Meerut, a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, vacationing in the sylvan surroundings of Nainital, a popular Himalayan tourist destination in the Kumaon region of India’s Uttarakhand state, found a leopard pacing about in their room early in the morning. The big cat smashed the window pane to get into the room as Sumit Rathore and his wife Shivani cowered behind the bed. As the animal walked into the washroom, Sumit bolted the door from outside, locking in the big cat and raised an alarm, Ranger Pramod Tiwari said. A forest department team arrived with a cage and tranquiliser gun to trap the leopard but it jumped out of the washroom ventilator and vanished into the nearby forest, he said. Apparently, the one-and-half-year-old leopard had entered the hotel room after being chased by wild dogs, the ranger said. The hotel where the incident took place is located in Tallital area. Earlier this month, a black Himalayan bear was spotted roaming the streets of Nainital in the wee hours. It broke the window pane of a hotel room where some tourists were staying. After the alarm was raised, it got into a lake and swam across it, before disappearing into the Ayarpatta jungle. (PTI)

Vacationing couple wakes up to leopard in Indian holiday town of Nainital

leopard

Leopard, News on Leopard, stories on Leopard, articles on Leopard, Leopard stories at Wion, Leopard news, Leopard latest news