Forest Department denies shielding accused; action to be taken: DCF

Mysuru: Separate incidents of two female leopards being found dead have emerged in Mysuru.

One leopard died after being caught in a snare, while the other succumbed to poisoning, allegedly after consuming chicken laced with poison. Despite the incidents occurring in November and December last year, the Forest Department is yet to take decisive action to arrest the culprits, though formal cases have been registered.

The first incident, reported on Nov. 22, involved a female leopard that was seriously injured after being trapped in a snare set to capture wild boars on a farm near Mandakalli.

Upon receiving the information, forest officials rushed to the site, rescued the leopard and transferred it to the Chamundi Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre at Koorgalli. However, the leopardess succumbed to its injuries two days later. Following this, the Forest Department registered an FIR against Nagendra, Raghavendra, and Krishnaiah.

The second incident, reported on Dec. 12, involved the recovery of a female leopard’s carcass from a farm in Udbur. During their investigation, forest officials, aided by a dog squad, traced the source to a poultry farm located just 200 metres from where the carcass was discovered.

A bottle of poison was recovered from the farm and the post-mortem confirmed that the poison found in the bottle matched the substance in the leopard’s body. Investigations revealed that the leopardess had consumed chicken laced with poison.

Subsequently, a case was registered against veterinarian Dr. Mruthyunjaya, who operated the poultry farm and also against the land-owner.

Wildlife enthusiasts outraged

Wildlife enthusiasts have expressed outrage over the deaths of the leopards and are demanding stringent action against the accused. They have accused the Forest Department of shielding the culprits and voiced frustration over the delay in making arrests, despite the filing of FIRs.

However, the Forest Department has denied these allegations, asserting that both cases are being investigated diligently.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, DCF Dr. K.N. Basavaraju stated, “On receiving information, the Department conducted a thorough investigation and filed cases against the accused as per the law. There is no question of protecting anyone in the case.”