MM Hills forest officials accused of covering up leopard death

Mysore/Mysuru: Even as the memory of five tigers poisoned to death in the Male Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary remains fresh, another gruesome incident has surfaced. A leopard was found brutally killed with all four legs chopped off in the forest region between Ramapura and Martalli, in the Kowdalli Range of the same sanctuary.

Wildlife activists have accused the Forest Department of attempting to cover up the case and have brought the matter directly to Forest Minister Eshwar B. Khandre’s attention.

In a formal complaint to the Chief Wildlife Warden, activist Dinesh Kallahalli revealed that the mutilated carcass of the leopard was discovered on June 5 at the Bidaralli Beat in the Timmarayanakonchalu forest area.

“This is a case of poaching, a criminal offence under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The incident exposes serious negligence, dereliction of duty, and an attempted cover-up by forest officials,” said Kallahalli.

He further alleged that the standard operating procedure (SOP) mandated by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) was blatantly violated.

“The post-mortem was conducted without the presence of any recognised NGO or wildlife experts, which is in clear contravention of guidelines issued by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change,” he stated.

Kallahalli has demanded action against officials for violating the Ministry’s advisory on handling mortalities of Schedule I species.

Forest Minister Eshwar B. Khandre has instructed the Additional Chief Secretary and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) to launch an investigation under the supervision of Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (APCCF). A detailed report has been sought within seven days.

There is strong suspicion that the leopard was killed for its claws. The secrecy allegedly maintained by some forest oficials has raised serious questions, with the Minister reportedly expressing disappointment over the lack of transparency. Meanwhile, alarming data has come to light. 82 tigers have died across Karnataka over the past five and a half years. The Forest Minister has ordered a comprehensive report on each of these deaths.

Instructions have been issued to the Additional Chief Secretary and PCCF to clarify how many of 82 tigers died of natural causes and under suspicious circumstances.

The detailed information is sought on status of investigations, postmortem findings, missing body parts such as claws or teeth, and whether any action has been taken against negligent officials.