Leopard killed after being hit by train in Vishdhari reserve

Kota: The carcass of a male leopard was recovered from the railway tracks near Bhimlat tunnel in Bhopatpura forest range in the buffer area of Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve (RVTR) in Bundi district on Saturday morning.
The leopard, said to be around 8-10 years old, is believed to have been hit by a moving train sometime on Friday evening. A post-mortem conducted at around 2pm on Saturday ascertained the carcass to be around 18-20 hours old.
It is the third incident of death of leopards caused by moving trains in and around Bhimlat tunnel in the last two years. The latest death angered local wildlife enthusiasts, who alleged persistent negligence by the forest department in taking adequate safety measures for the wildlife in the forest.
“The dead big cat was male and around 8-10 years old. It sustained fractures on each of its fore and hind legs, skull, and had a deep wound,” told Dr Bhanwar Meena, a member of the medical board that conducted post-mortem. A heavy metal was believed to have hit the animal, causing fatal injuries and death. Forest department officials did not respond to calls for comment on the incident.
Expressing concern over the leopard’s death, former wildlife warden Prathvi Singh Rajawat said since the Bhimlat tunnel area is in the buffer zone of RVTR, it is sensitive and requires alert monitoring and urgent safety measures by the forest department. He said it was the third incident of leopard death by moving trains in the area in the last two years.
“It is unfortunate that the departments concerned have not awakened even 20 years after when the tiger ‘Broken Trail’, having wandered from Ranthambore, was killed by a moving train near Dara railway station in Mukundra Tiger Reserve in 2003,” said Brijesh Vijayvergiya, convener of Bagh Mitra in Kota. He urged the forest department and Indian Railways to hold a joint meeting and put in place safety measures for wild animals in the forest area near the railway tracks.