Govt awaiting postmortem report of leopard cub found dead in Pernem

Panaji/Mapusa: The forest department is awaiting the results of a postmortem examination after a year-old leopard cub was found dead in Pernem recently.Speaking on the incident, a senior forest official said a postmortem examination is being conducted and that initial findings would help determine whether additional laboratory testing would be necessary.“At this stage, we do not know the cause. Leopard cubs can be susceptible to various illnesses. We need to determine exactly what illness, if any, before deciding on the next course of action,” the official said.Leopard cubs become independent by 16 to 24 months, but reach true adulthood around 2 to 2.5 years of age when they achieve full physical size and sexual maturity.According to preliminary assessments, the animal was not a very young cub and was probably one-year-old.“At that stage, it would normally have been weaned from its mother,” the official said.Forest officials said that conclusions should be based on scientific findings and that further updates will be provided once the examination results are available.TOI had earlier reported about the frequent leopard sightings across different locations in Goa. While they were sighted at Dhargalim, Virnoda, Paliem, and Mandrem in Pernem, there have also been increased leopard sightings in Canacona taluka, particularly in Poinguinim, Agonda, Loliem, Patnem-Colomb and Chaudi.All of the recent leopard movements have been captured on CCTV cameras or cellphone cameras.