Leopard: Tragic death of a leopard: Villagers arrested after 12-hour fight | Raipur News

Raipur: A three-year-old leopard In Chhattisgarh died in pain due to alleged delays in rescue and treatment after being stuck in a trap set by villagers for 12 hours. This proved fatal for the wild animal in Mohla Manpur district. An accused villager was arrested in connection with the case for laying the trap.
Forest department officials remained idle for 12 hours, watching the leopard struggling in the trap and waiting for the tranquilizers to be transported from Raipur to Mohla Manpur district, about 160 km away. Each attempt by the leopard to free itself only worsened its condition. as the trap’s clutch wire tightened around his waist. The leopard suffered severe spinal cord injuries and eventually succumbed after being relocated Nandanvan jungle safariNava Raipur, on Thursday morning.
The incident took place 32 km from the district headquarters in Medha village, Uttar Manpur Range, when 44-year-old Naval Singh set the trap to protect his cattle and poultry from wild animals. The leopard, possibly searching for food, accidentally fell into the trap on Tuesday evening, officials said. According to DFO Dinesh Patel, the leopard’s life could have been saved if it had been released within two to three hours.
However, the forestry team faced a shortage of sedatives and a quick medical team and it took a long time for them to reach the spot.
The leopard remained captive from Tuesday evening to Wednesday morning when a team from Raipur Jungle Safari arrived equipped with tranquilizers. The forest team received the alert soon after the incident at around 6.30 pm on Tuesday, an immediate notification from the Raipur Tranquilizers Office followed and permission was sought from PCCF Wildlife.
“Though the narcotics team from Raipur Mohla reached Manpur around 11 pm, we could not reach the spot as it was dark and the area faces Maoist threat. We could only guard the leopard at a distance,” the DFO said.
The leopard was released on Wednesday morning and underwent initial treatment. However, as his condition did not improve, he was taken to Nandanvan Jungle Safari in Nava Raipur where he arrived around 10 pm on Wednesday. Despite the efforts of the medical team, the leopard could not be saved.
Officials said that while the man did not set the trap to harm the leopard but to save its livestock, his actions are considered a crime under the Wildlife Protection Act. He was arrested under Sections 9, 50 and 51 of the Act Wildlife Protection Act If found guilty, he could face up to seven years in prison.
The accused was produced before the court and sent to custody. Jungle Safari Director and DFO Dhammshil Ganveer confirmed that the leopard suffered severe internal injuries due to strangulation. A post-mortem has been carried out and further action is being taken. The villagers reported that they had suffered losses in their livestock and poultry in the last week to 10 days and set the trap to catch the wild animal responsible, not knowing that it was a leopard.