Second leopard shot within week in Ropar forests

Tribune News Service

Ropar, January 2

Even as the police are yet to identify the culprits involved in the shooting of a leopard cub in the Nangal forests on December 27, another leopard carcass was found 30 km away in the Nurpur Bedi forest area of Ropar district last evening.

Five bullet splinters were recovered from the carcass of a five-year-old male wild cat during the postmortem conducted today, Ropar Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Kulraj Singh said. Forest Department officials said the leopard could have been a victim of poaching or there could be the involvement of people who have the permission to hunt wild boar and blue bull (which are declared vermin in Ropar district) only in their fields.

According to the DFO, a farmer can obtain a permit to kill wild boar and blue bull entering his fields to protect his crop in Ropar district. If a farmer does not possess the arms licence, he can apply for permission to nominate some other arms licence holder to enter his fields and hunt down the vermin. After hunting down the vermin, the farmer is supposed to inform the authorities about it and it is left to his discretion to consume the meat or bury the carcass.

The DFO said poachers of big cats usually take away the skin, claws and teeth of the animal due to the huge demand for these items in the international market. But in both cases, the carcasses found in forest area were left untouched. Hence, it could be presumed that the hunter mistook the leopards for the wild boar or sambar in the night. They might have left the carcasses untouched fearing legal action. For leopard hunting, an offender can be punished with jail up to 7 years.

A probe will be initiated, the DFO said, adding that in the meantime patrolling has been intensified and all hunting permits issued in Ropar district will be scrutinised.

An announcement has also been made in all villages in the area, requesting people to provide clues regarding the killings, said Kulraj Singh.

Though the DFO refused to comment on the resources as well as staff available in the district, sources said the department had just one vehicle which was used for rescuing animals found injured in the forest or found trapped in snares set up by farmers to protect crops.

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