E-Paper
Leopard cub found dead at Dudhwa buffer zone, movements of another big cat confirmed
Kirti Chaudhary, deputy field director of the Dudhwa buffer zone, told HT that the recovered carcass was identified as a female leopard cub aged around seven months.
Amid reports of frequent big cat sightings near human settlements, a leopard cub was found dead in an agricultural field near Lagdahan village in the Sampurnanagar range of the Dudhwa buffer zone on Saturday.
Local villagers, who discovered the cub’s carcass with bite injuries, alerted forest officials. They reported hearing the roars of two big cats fighting in their fields late Friday night.
Sampurnanagar forest range officials rushed to the spot and sent the carcass for a postmortem examination.
Kirti Chaudhary, deputy field director of the Dudhwa buffer zone, told HT that the recovered carcass was identified as a female leopard cub aged around seven months.
She added that pugmarks of an adult leopard were found at the site where the carcass was recovered. She said the nature of the cub’s injuries indicated an attack by an adult leopard, and the postmortem report confirmed infighting as the cause of death.
Meanwhile, forest officials in the Majhgain range of the Dudhwa buffer zone advised residents of Bhaudhiya Kalan and nearby villages to remain alert following reports of a leopard’s movement in the area.
Villagers of Bhaudhiya Kalan complained that a leopard had been roaming around their village and attacking domestic animals. They said the prowling big cat had killed about half a dozen calves by Saturday, triggering panic in the area.
The area, located near the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve forest, is known for frequent wild animal movement.
