After an intense three-day search operation by officers from
According to senior officers, the choice to shoot the leopard was taken in any case different choices had been exhausted. Officials additionally stated that particular permission was sought from the Chief
Officials say the leopard saved on attacking individuals through the length of the operation beginning Wednesday morning. Once it was seen round 9 am, it attacked the veterinarian attempting to tranquilise it. KFD claims the leopard aimed for the physician’s neck however the vet escaped with minor accidents. It then attacked one other official from the Leopard Task Force (LTF). The official was referred to as from Mysuru for this operation. The third attack was on a consultant of a non-government organisation that was supporting the division within the operation.
Around 2.30 pm, it once more got here out and charged. “It is very difficult to capture a big cat, especially in a city with high population density and no open spaces. Around 2.30 pm, when it charged again for the fourth time, one of our officials opened fire and the animal was shot dead. We had permission from the Chief Wildlife Warden to shoot the animal if the need arises,” stated
KFD carried out the operation on the spot the place the leopard had taken shelter for the final two days. It had taken refuge in an deserted building with thick bushes on the campus and a godown close by. Officials had noticed pugmarks and scats within the space over the past three days, however the leopard was lastly noticed on Wednesday morning.
Officials advised BM the animal had turn into very aggressive due to so many individuals round and was not getting an escape route. “We also did not want it to escape as it could have been dangerous to the people around us. Even an earth mover was brought in to dart the animal from up close but we did not succeed,” added Pushkar. After the incident, the physique was taken to Bannerghatta Biological Park and a autopsy was performed.
“It was an old leopard as it had already lost its canine teeth, which are very important for hunting. It should be around ten years old. Its stomach was empty indicating it had not eaten in the last two to three days. There were talks of it venturing out and picking up stray dogs, but the post-mortem report has proved that was not the case,” stated Pushkar. Officials additionally confirmed that this was the one leopard within the space.
Forest officers carried out the operation on the spot the place the leopard had been hiding out for the final two days; a big crowd gathered round complicating the mission additional resulting in the shoot-out
Experts sad
Wildlife conservationists say the division may have dealt with the state of affairs otherwise. Citing a video recording of the previous few minutes of operation that has surfaced, specialists say an skilled crew may have led to a greater end result.
“The video clearly shows that the leopard did not charge before it was shot dead, as claimed by the officials. It was rather running towards the net that was put in place by the department to catch the animal. The moment it surfaced from the thick bush and ran towards the net, it was shot. The video also shows that one of the officials tranquilised the animal even after it was gunned down. There was a mini celebration that took place after the big cat was killed, which is disturbing. Officials were seen congratulating each other. There was no need to shoot it and tranquilisers could have done the job,” stated
.
Experts say it’s excessive time the federal government reconstitute job forces, whether or not elephant job pressure or leopard job pressure, throughout the division. Conservationists say an professional with the precise background for the job would have reacted otherwise within the state of affairs.
“It is time to have a better rescue team at every centre. The LTF has been created loosely, similar to the elephant task forces. These teams have been formed by pulling in people randomly.
It is difficult to capture a big cat, in a city with high population and no open spaces. When it charged for the fourth time, our official opened fire
–Kumar Pushkar, APCCF
There is a clear surge in man-animal conflict cases and this operation is a good case in point to ensure there is an experienced team to capture tigers, leopards, bears, and other such animals in conflict situations. LTFs and ETFs should be reconstituted and right people should be brought in. It is not the question of if the leopard could have been saved or not. It is about how one reacts in the given situation that is important,” stated Hoover.
However, KFD officers disagreed.
“Our team was well-experienced in handling this operation. The chief conservator of forest along with the deputy chief conservator was present on the spot during the last two days of the operation. Had it been a village, we would not have killed the animal as it would have got an escape route. Here, we were dealing with a densely populated area,” stated Pushkar.
