The man-eater leopard, which was on the prowl for the past 20 days, was at last shot and killed by a patrolling team near Sushilnagar in Sandur taluk of the district on Friday.
As the news of the death of the wild cat spread, people of Sushilnagar and surrounding villages, who were panic-stricken and spending sleepless nights, heaved a sigh of relief.
Sources in the Forest Department told The Hindu that the leopard was a 15-year old male.
The leopard was spotted in the afternoon near a live bait but the shooters could not shoot because of not getting a proper aim, and the leopard managed to escape. The wait for the team, after taking proper position, yielded the desired result when Shabbir of the Police Department, Sharma of the Forest Department and Mahadev Lamani, anaesthetist, shot at it.
The leopard had killed two persons in Sushilnagar in a span of a fortnight.
