A leopard hunting in Gujarat took a bizarre turn this week — with seven additional blackbucks dropping dead from ‘shock’. The incident took place within the jungle safari premises near the Statue of Unity on January 1.
“The sudden entry of the leopard into the enclosure caused widespread panic. Despite efforts by guards on duty to drive it away, the leopard managed to kill one blackbuck, while the chaos led to the death of seven more,” India Today quoted Agneeshwar Vyas — the Deputy Conservator of Forests — as saying.
According to reports quoting forest officials, the young leopard had managed to cross the well-fenced safari park boundary in a bid to hunt. The Statue of Unity is surrounded by the Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary — an area known for its leopard population.
This is however the first time that the park has seen a predator enter the premises. The safari park is located within the Kevadia forest division area and serves as a key tourist attraction for those visiting the world's tallest statue.
The incident came mere days after a leopard was spotted within the Mysuru Infosys campus — prompting forest authorities to launch a combing operation. The IT company asked employees to work from home after the sighting.
The big cat was sighted in the underground car parking area of the campus around 3:30 am by the security staff. Officials also spotted the animal on CCTV footage while trying to verify the details.
“A leopard was spotted inside the Infosys campus and our personnel are on the job. Combing operation has been launched and drones are also being used to spot the leopard,” a senior forest officer said.
Meanwhile another leopard attack on Saturday left four people injured in Uttar Pradesh. The animal reportedly ‘fainted’ and died after being caught by locals. A forest officer said the leopard entered a mosque near Majhauli village of Sohagibarwa Wildlife Sanctuary and left four people hurt. An investigation was ordered to ascertain the exact cause of the leopard's death.
(With inputs from agencies)
