According to SGNP data, the leopard was identified as C-40. G Mallikarjuna, Director of SGNP, said, “The postmortem was done at SGNP. (Representational) A three-year-old leopard was found dead at Yeoor range of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) on Tuesday evening. The SGNP authorities have ordered a detailed inquiry into the death.
According to SGNP data, the leopard was identified as C-40. G Mallikarjuna, Director of SGNP, said, “The postmortem was done at SGNP. The findings were suggestive of blunt trauma (probably due to falling from a height) resulting in the rupture of the liver, leading to internal haemorrhage and subsequent hypovolemic shock.”
Reacting to the incident on a social networking site, Anish Andheria, CEO of Wildlife Conservation Trusts, asked if the leopard’s death was the result of a road accident, “Was this animal found near a cliff? Has one eliminated the possibility of a road accident? Often animals hit by cars collapse a few hundred meters from the road. If there is a motorable road within a kilometre from the spot, road accident more likely.”
According to a 2019 estimation by wildlife biologist Nikit Surve and the SGNP, the park and its peripheral areas are home to at least 47 big cats, including the transient population moving between SGNP and the surrounding landscapes.
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