Leopardess enters village, dies during rescue op

Pilibhit: A leopardess died during a rescue operation in Piparia village in Dhaurhara forest range of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve’s (DTR) buffer zone in Kheri district on Monday.DTR field director H Rajamohan said the animal had entered a thatched wheat straw store in the village around 11pm on Sunday.

During the rescue operation, forest personnel surrounded the structure with nets on three sides, leaving one side open to allow the animal to return to the forest.

A cage with live bait was also placed nearby.However, the leopardess neither moved towards the cage nor showed any aggression. She collapsed before she could be darted and shifted into the cage. “She remained unusually inactive throughout the operation.

Unlike the typical behaviour of leopards, which usually snarl or charge when approached, the animal showed no reaction as forest personnel tried to guide her towards the cage,” Rajamohan said.He added that the possibility of the leopardess being infected with canine distemper, a highly contagious and often fatal viral disease, could not be ruled out.A postmortem was conducted in DTR buffer zone by a panel of three veterinary officers, including DTR veterinarians Dr Mohammad Talha and Dr Daya Shankar, following the National Tiger Conservation Authority’s standard operating procedure.

Samples of the viscera and other organs have been sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) in Bareilly for examination. “We found no external or internal injuries on the leopardess.

The exact cause of death will be known after the test reports arrive,” Rajamohan said.This is the third big cat death reported in Kheri district in 12 days. A lactating tigress died after collapsing in a cage about 11 hours after being darted on June 23. On June 29, an adult male tiger was found dead in DTR buffer zone with maggot-infested wounds on its paws and legs in South Kheri forest division.