Punjab: Forest officials deny killing leopards

Punjab: Punjab forest department officials on Sunday ruled out poaching attempts, days after two leopards were found dead in separate incidents in Hoshiarpur. The death of two leopards in a span of about three weeks has set alarm bells ringing. On January 14, a leopard was found dead after getting trapped in barbed wire in the Birampur forest area. The Hoshiarpur police have registered a case of violation of Wildlife Protection Act, 2022. On December 28, another leopard was found dead in Koi village of the district. About a fortnight before the Koi village incident, a leopard had also strayed into Mehangarwal village of Hoshiarpur. In 2018 too, a leopard was shot dead in the district. Dr Amandeep Singh, former honorary wildlife warden of Hoshiarpur, said, “The frequent deaths of leopards and their straying into human habitations is no coincidence. Just one sighting is enough to make the villagers call for a rescue operation.
The site turns into a ‘mela’ and the animal is usually brutally tortured. District forest officer Nalin Yadav said that in the Koi village incident, the leopard died because it had eaten a porcupine, which caused internal bleeding. Porcupines are large rodents with sharp spines or barbs on their bodies. “The Birampur leopard was trapped in a wire, but the official cause of death is yet to be confirmed as the post-mortem report is awaited. The Mehangarwal leopard is at the Chhat Bir zoo, where it is being examined by doctors. Poachers were not involved in any of these incidents. We keep a watch on poaching activities.” Dharmendra Sharma, Punjab’s chief wildlife warden, also said both the leopards died of “natural or accidental causes”. “The number of leopards is increasing in Punjab. A case of a leopard being shot was reported in 2023 (from Nangal). So far, no such case has been reported from the state. As far as complaints from villagers are concerned, they are resolved promptly. As per policy, there is no need for rescue unless an animal poses a threat to human life.”