Mysuru: A leopardess, aged about one-and-a-half years which hid inside a roadside drain after seeing villagers, died of suspected suffocation and alleged delay in rescuing it by the Forest Department at Royal Care Layout near Gowhalli on the outskirts of city yesterday.
It is learnt that the leopardess, was seen by a shepherd at the Layout at about 12 noon who informed the villagers. Soon hundreds of villagers began to arrive at the spot and the leopardess took shelter inside a roadside drain nearby out of fear. The villagers then blocked both the openings of the drain to prevent the animal from escaping and immediately informed the Forest Department officials.
Villagers said that the Forest officials who reportedly came after a couple of hours after being informed managed to put a noose around the neck of the leopardess and tried to pull it out but could not. They then said that they would tranquillise the animal and capture it, the villagers added.
Stating that the leopardess had died by then, the villagers said that the Forest staff then put the noose again and pulled out the dead animal besides expressing the anguish over the way the Forest staff tried to capture it.
The villagers said that the Forest staff were not prepared for the rescue operation and alleged that seeing the way they tried to capture the animal, one could clearly understand that the staff are not trained to handle such situation and mourned its death.
The Forest official said that they suspected that the animal may have died of suffocation or shock. But the local residents alleged that the leopardess had died of a failed rescue operation.
But what happened later was worse. The villagers failed to treat it with dignity as they carried the carcass of the dead animal on their shoulders and posed for photographs. The body was shifted from shoulder to shoulder as the villagers clicked selfies with the dead animal even as the Forest staff stood as mute spectators.
Later, the Forest Department personnel took the dead animal into their possession.
Meanwhile, DCF (Wildlife Division) Siddaramappa said that the officials who conducted the rescue operation informed that the leopardess had died of suffocation. He further said that the post-mortem was conducted this morning and the exact cause for its death would be known only after the post-mortem report is received.
It is sad that the leopardess died. The behavior of the villagers, after the leopardess died, is disgraceful.
It is common knowledge leopards have strayed into suburbs of Mysuru. Knowing this, the forest department has not informed the people of the near by village as to what to do and not do, when they see a leopard. The forest department needs to train its personnel to apprehend the animal in a humane way. As the city spreads, it is encroaching and destroying the leopards habitat. Is it any wonder they come to suburbs looking for food?