Two female leopards killed by locals in Udhampur

Jammu, March 17

Two female leopards were killed in a village of Udhampur district using improvised snares of clutch wires. The incident was reported on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday from Balandh village in Ramnagar tehsil of the district. The Wildlife Department swung into action soon after the information was received. Leopard comes under Schedule 1 wild fauna in J&K.

Acting swiftly, a team led by Jammu Wildlife Warden Vijay Kumar, and Range Officer, Wildlife Range Udhampur, Rakesh Sharma, immediately rushed to spot after conveying the matter to district administration and police authority.

“On reaching the spot, one female leopard was found brutally killed using locally improvised clutch wires snare and another one severely injured by getting entangled in snare in agricultural field of one Deewan Chand, a resident of Balandh. Wildlife team, after putting strenuous efforts, succeeded in freeing the leopard and endeavored to shift the same for treatment, but the badly injured female leopard succumbed enroute thereby taking the toll of illegal killing to two leopards,” an official said.

The official further said the carcasses of both the Schedule 1 wild beasts were taken into possession by the Department of Wildlife Protection and an FIR was lodged against unknown persons in Ramnagar police station under relevant sections of Wildlife Protection Act,1972, beside initiating inquest proceeding in the heinous wildlife crime.

“Final disposal of both the carcasses will be carried out as per extant statutory guidelines by way of complete incineration,” he said.