The Goa forest department has initiated an inquiry into the death of a five-year-old female black panther, which was killed after being hit by an unidentified vehicle in the early hours of Sunday. Forest Minister Vishwajit Rane has also taken note of the incident.
According to forest department officials, the incident took place at around 1.30 am when the black panther — also known as a melanistic leopard — was crossing a road near Konem in Priol-Ponda range. Officials said the spot where the incident took place is over 5 km away from the boundaries of reserved forests.
The panther suffered serious injuries and collapsed near the roadside. A purported video of the panther showed it panting and trying to recover, as locals gathered and alerted the police and forest department.
A forest department official, requesting anonymity, said, “It is suspected that the panther was hit by a speeding vehicle. With the help of locals and forest department officials, the panther was put in a cage and taken to a veterinary facility, but it succumbed to injuries.”
A postmortem was conducted by a government veterinary surgeon in Usgaon. “The autopsy found that the panther suffered a massive head injury and fracture in the skull. Prolonged bleeding on account of injuries is suspected to have caused the death. The postmortem report is awaited. We are checking CCTVs in the area to identify the vehicle,” the official said.
Forest Minister Vishwajit Rane took a serious note of the incident and directed officials to submit a detailed report. The chief wildlife warden also visited the accident spot on Sunday. Officials from the National Forensic Science University collected evidence and are assisting the forest department in forensic examination. A case has been registered under section 9 of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
According to the ‘status of leopards in India’ report released in 2024 by the Union Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the leopard population in Goa in 2022 was estimated to be 77, with approximately 26% of the population residing outside protected areas. The report said the forest patches of Mhadei-Mollem harbour higher density of leopards compared to other parts of the state. The report also flagged an increase in cases of leopards straying into human habitations around the villages on the periphery of Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary.
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“Leopard mortalities or injuries due to snaring is not uncommon as locals often put snares to capture wild pigs. Leopards also got killed by speeding trains and vehicles, an emerging threat to the wildlife of the state due to rapid development of unmitigated linear infrastructure,” it said.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd