Apart from the case of a man who had fallen asleep, drunk, on a road, all the victims were women and children. The number of deaths is rising steadily, from five in 1993 to 17 in 1996 and 19 last year. For Vineet Kumar Pangti, Pauri's top forestry officer, the killings present a dilemma. I'm trapped between protecting people and safeguarding leopards. Under India's wildlife laws, it is illegal to kill them.
Authorization is needed before a man-eater can be hunted.
Eighteen have been killed. A recent census estimated Pauri's leopard population at 187. But anecdotal evidence suggests the number could well be double that. I also see a lot of cubs with their parents. Barthwal says that in their attacks on humans, leopards use the tactics they have perfected in the wild.