Role of locals, poachers under lens over ‘poisoning’ of 3 leopards in Himachal Pradesh

Ashish Negi

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Rampur, April 3

The three leopards found dead on March 8 at Jaguni village of Rampur subdivision in Shimla district had died of poisoning. Himachal Forest Department officials said poisoning was found to be the reason in viscera examination done at the Forensic Lab in Junga, near Shimla. Incidentally, no traces of poison were found in the remains of the cow that these leopards had killed.

DFO Hardev Negi said the leopards, a mother and her two cubs, were found dead within 100 metres of each other. Forest officials were suspecting the villagers might have put poison in the cow’s carcass after it was killed by the leopards to kill the big cats. But with no poison found in the cow’s viscera, it will be tough for the forest officials to find out how and by whom the leopards were poisoned.

Apart from the theory of villagers poisoning the leopards to protect their livestock, the forest officials are working on the possibility of poachers killing these animals for their hide and nails.

Desh Raj Hudden, the pradhan of Dansa panchayat under which the village falls, said the leopards had created an atmosphere of fear. “It is possible someone may have poisoned the leopards. But as no poison was found in the cow’s viscera, the matter has become complicated,” he said.