Leopard died of cardiac failure in Nepli Range of Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary

Dushyant Singh Pundir

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Chandigarh, January 21

The post-mortem of the nearly five-year-old leopard that was found dead in the Nepli Range of the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary on December 23 last year, has indicated that the big cat died of cardiac failure.

A panel of three veterinary doctors, comprising experts from the UT Animal Husbandry Department, the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Wildlife Department conducted the post-mortem to find out the cause of the death.

Debendra Dalai, Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden, UT, said the cause of the death of leopard was due to respiratory and cardiac failure.

In a condition of restlessness, the animal suffered from breathlessness while running here and there which had adverse impact on the heart and it led to the cardiac arrest and could have also been aggravated by the prevailing cold conditions, he added. As no injury mark was found on the body, he ruled out poisoning and hunting as all claws of the leopard were found intact.

Sambar rescued from Dhanas

A male sambar strayed into the market in Dhanas on Friday. The animal was caught by a team of the Wildlife Department and was released in the Kansal forest.

Debendra Dalai, Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden, UT, said on getting information, a team of the Wildlife Department reached the spot and rescued the animal, which had entered a crowded place in the market of Dhanas. It was a very challenging operation as one of the labourers also got a minor injury while rescuing the animal, he said.

“Among the crowd of about 200 people, we safely rescued the sambar and released it in its natural habitat at the Kansal forest,” he said.