2-yr-old leopard run over by vehicle near Asola Bhati

Gurgaon: A two-year-old female leopard died after being hit by a vehicle on Pali road, near Asola Bhati wildlife sanctuary, in Faridabad on Monday morning.
The area is prone to such accidents and a nine-year-old leopard was killed in similar fashion in October last year on the same stretch. In the last 14 years, 10 leopards have died in road accidents in and around this area.
Wildlife officials, who received the information about the leopard around 9am, retrieved the carcasses and registered a case. The post-mortem report is awaited.
“The autopsy will be carried out in Faridabad and the exact reason of death will be determined after it. As per the preliminary examination, it seems like the leopard died of brain injury after being hit by a vehicle,” district wildlife inspector Rajesh Chahal said.
Chahal added that they had sent a proposal to build a wildlife corridor and underpasses in the area. Residents said they have also been demanding the corridor for a long time but nothing has happened yet.
“Pali road has witnessed several leopard deaths. It passes through the middle of the Aravalis and bisects the corridor used by wildlife to traverse from Asola Bhati wildlife sanctuary in Delhi, through Gurgaon (Mangar-Bandhwari), to Sariska in Rajasthan. We have been demanding an underpass in the area for long but it is still pending,” said Jitender Bhadana, a resident of Faridabad and an environmental activist.
In a 2017 report, the Wildlife Institute India (WII) had pointed out that the belt is a rich leopard habitat. Thereafter, the wildlife department had installed signages on the road and speed barriers to curb accidents.
However, environment experts pointed out that the wildlife department is yet to work on the proposed underpasses. “This road has seen so many wildlife deaths in the last one decade. Why isn’t this area being declared a wildlife corridor?” said Vivek Kamboj, a member of NGO Haryali.
Another activist said the wildlife department’s “inefficiency” is reflected in the numerous animal deaths on the highways. “While wildlife signages are installed, the department’s plan on wildlife mitigation for infra projects are pending,” said environment activist Vaishali Rana Chandra.
The region is infamous for leopard deaths on highways. On October 20, 2019, an 18-month-old female leopard was crushed to death on the same road in Pali area. In January that year, another female leopard was killed in an accident in Faridabad.
In May 2015, a young female leopard had died after being hit by a vehicle on Gurgaon-Faridabad Road near Mangar Bani. In November 2014, a 12-year-old male leopard was killed in an accident in Manesar. In April 2014, four leopards were found dead within a week in and around a private golf resort in Gurgaon. In February 2009, a leopard and her two cubs were injured by a vehicle on NH-8. In September 2008, a speeding vehicle killed a three-year-old male leopard on the highway near Manesar village.