BAREILLY: The carcass of an eight-month-old subadult leopard with multiple injuries was found in a cane field in Fatehganj East Bareilly district on Friday morning.
Foresters suspect that the cub was hit by a vehicle and died after walking a few metres into a nearby cane field. However, they are awaiting its autopsy report from the Indian Veterinary Research Institute here.
Although the district only has social forestry, wild carnivores have strayed out of forests miles away and settled in various areas. Earlier, a leopard that had made its home in an abandoned rubber factory in Fatehganj West area, 18 km from Bareilly city, was run over by a vehicle when it stepped out of the campus on the national highway-24 on February 24.
Since April, a tigress has taken refuge in the same factory, said forest department officials. At present, they said, some five stray leopards are known to be lurking in various parts of Bareilly district.
A leopard was spotted inside the Air Force station in Izzatnagar area earlier in December. Camera traps and a cage were placed there to monitor its movement but it changed its location.
Bharat Lal, divisional forest officer, told TOI, “The presence of leopards in Bareilly has increased alarmingly. The leopard cub was possibly hit by a vehicle as it had head injuries, which caused its death. But we will wait for the autopsy report before coming to any conclusion.”