Mandi, Dec. 24 -- A grim and deeply unsettling chapter of man-animal conflict unfolded in the Balh area of Mandi, where an ageing leopard lost its life after a sequence of events marked by fear, confusion, and human anguish, wildlife authorities said today.
According to officials, the leopard involved in the incident was old and physically weakened. Preliminary findings suggest that it had been driven out of its natural territory after a prolonged and violent confrontation with a younger leopard. Exhausted, injured, and disoriented, the animal strayed into human habitations in the Balh Valley.
Forest officers said the leopard's entry into residential areas was not predatory but defensive in nature.
"The animal was tired, wounded, and und...