Wildlife activists have raised questions about the recent death of a leopard in the Bhadra Tiger Reserve and demanded a probe into the incident.
A leopard was found dead in the Lakkavalli Range of the Bhadra Wildlife Division early in the morning on February 5. The veterinarians noticed an injury in its spine. After the post-mortem, the carcass was burnt.
However, wildlife activists alleged that the animal was earlier hit by a safari vehicle in January itself.
Mugthihalli Madhu, a wildlife activist of Wild Care, a non-government organisation in Chikkamagaluru, told The Hindu that his sources informed him that the animal was hit by a safari vehicle a few days ago.
“Some people have seen the animal struggling to walk. It must have died due to starvation. The officers believe that it must have fallen from a tree. However, there should be a probe into the incident to bring out the truth,” he said.
The activist also urged the officers to control the movement of safari vehicles.
When The Hindu contacted Yashpal Kshirasagar, Conservator of Forests of Chikkamagaluru Circle, he said he would look into the issue.
Published - February 14, 2025 09:09 pm IST
