A 24-year old woman has been killed by a leopard in chief Chifunda’s area of Chama district.

The deceased, Rebecca Kumwenda, met her fate when she went outside her home to answer the call of nature around 03: 00 hours yesterday.

According to Lumimba Catholic parish catechist Evans Mphande, the incident occurred at Kanyelele village.

“What happened is that this woman went outside her home around 03: 00 hours, so it was during that time that the leopard attacked her. This wild animal grabbed her by the neck and when people went to rescue her, the leopard escaped, leaving her dead,” Mphande said.

He said leopards were terrorizing villagers in Chifunda area to the extent that they were even killing chickens.

“You know the incident occurred at an open area. The wild animals were now coming to villages. So we are worried and we are living in fear,” said Mphande, adding that the matter had since been reported to the Department of National Parks and Wildlife in the area.