Rescued leopard dies in Pavagadh rescue centre

VADODARA: A male leopard that was rescued from a village in Pavi Jetpur on January 7 died at forest department’s rescue centre in Pavagadh on Wednesday.
According to forest department officials, the leopard died due to a leg injury which could have been caused due to an attack by humans. The department registered a case in a Pavi Jetpur court in connection with the death. Another case has also been registered in connection with the mutilated carcass of female leopard that was found on Tuesday in Bandi village.

“We have registered the case and started investigation. The exact cause can be known in post-mortem, but it can be confirmed that there was a leg injury and that could be the reason,” said Nilesh Pandya, deputy conservator of forest, Chhota Udepur.

Sources in Pavi Jetpur said that some locals of Bandi have claimed that they had shot at the leopard when it had attacked an eight-year-old girl in the village on January 6.

“I have also heard about the unconfirmed reports, but without a proper probe it cannot be confirmed. Whether the leopard was attacked in self-defense or it charged after being attacked is a matter of investigation. However, we have registered the cases in the court and the probe will reveal the details soon,” Pandya added.

The leopard was rescued after four human beings were attacked last week. Of the four, two died while the other two are critical.

The leopard was moved to the rescue centre of forest department at Dhobikuva near Pavagadh on January 7. The rescue centre is the only facility in the state where man-eater leopards are kept for remaining part of their lives.