Man-Eating Leopard Devours 15 So Far

A rogue leopard believed to have killed - and eaten - up to 15 villagers, including 10 small children over the past year is being hunted by Nepalese wildlife officials.

The severed head of the latest victim, a 4-year-old boy, was found on Saturday in a forested area nearly 400 miles west of the capital, Kathmandu. The Kathmandu Post reported the boy was playing in the courtyard of his house when the leopard struck, killing the boy then dragging the body into the forest. Police say at least one leopard with a taste for human flesh is on the loose, but that there could be others.

Last week, Nepalese officials offered a bounty of 25,000 rupees (approximately $280) for anyone who could bring in the animal dead or alive. The bounty amounts to several months wages for an average Nepali villager. Of the 15 victims so far, two-thirds are children from remote

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villages. So far, there is no indication that any adult males have been attacked.