Leopard found dead near Sanjay Gandhi National Park

Maharashtra reported the highest number of leopard deaths in the country in 2021 and accounted for 178 out of 614 such deaths

MUMBAI: A three-year-old leopard known as C-40 was found dead on a road near Mumbai’s Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) on Tuesday, officials said.

The Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Mumbai. (HT Photo)

The animal’s post-mortem ruled out the possibility of any collision with a vehicle. The autopsy attributed the death to blunt trauma, possibly due to a fall from a height, leading to a rupturing of the animal’s liver.

The leopard died of internal haemorrhaging that led to hypovolemic shock, a condition in which severe blood loss makes the heart unable to pump enough blood.

“We are carrying out further inquiries into the death of the animal,” said G Mallikarjuna, SNGP field director, in a statement.

According to the non-profit group Wildlife Protection Society of India, Maharashtra reported the highest number of leopard deaths in the country in 2021 and accounted for 178 out of 614 such deaths. Poaching accounted for nearly 30% of all deaths. Road accidents were the second leading cause of leopard deaths in the state and the country. At least 93 leopards died in road accidents.

In November 2020, a pregnant leopardess died after being hit by an unidentified speeding vehicle on the Ghodbunder Road.