A leopard has killed a Buddhist monk meditating in a forest in western India.
A Buddhist monk meditating in a forest reserve in western India has been killed by a leopard, officials say.
The monk, identified as Rahul Walke, 35, had been meditating under a tree in the Tadoba Andhari forest, a protected tiger reserve, said forest official Gajendra Narwane.
“The monk was with a Buddhist temple on the periphery of the reserve and had been meditating at the spot for the past one month. Two monks who used to visit him with food and water found his body on Tuesday,” Narwane said.
It was the second fatal leopard attack in the forest in recent days and authorities had begun efforts to capture the animal.
A villager visiting an ancient Hindu temple in the same forest was mauled to death by a leopard last week.
Forest authorities had cordoned off the area and were allowing villagers to visit the shrine during restricted hours.
Forest director NR Praveen said authorities warned locals not to go into the forest and asked the Buddhist monks to vacate the area.
“Venturing into the forest is dangerous and animals do not care who it is. When people are intruding into the forest we have ourselves to blame, we cannot blame the animals,” Praveen said.
Widespread deforestation and human encroachment is leading to similar incidents across India, with an increasing number of conflicts between humans and animals in recent years.
