A gang of wildlife traffickers who skinned a leopard and ate it have been arrested by forest officers in India. Forest officer Sanjay Dutta said authorities received a tip-off about a trafficking gang looking for potential buyers interested in the leopard’s skin, NewsMen reported.
The authorities conducted a sting operation by posing as buyers willing to pay 1 million rupees (US$14,022.76) for the skin. Authorities nabbed five members of the gang who showed up for a meeting. A 10-feet leopard skin was confiscated in the operation.
Dutta added that the leopard was most likely killed by a trap a week ago somewhere in the Gorumara National Park in Northwest Bengal. The gang also reportedly feasted on the leopard’s meat with villagers near the national park.