Pregnant Leopardess Breathes its Last After Being Hit by Speeding Jeep on Highway

Pregnant leopardess killed in an accident

Wednesday, 18th November 2020

A pregnant leopardess that was crossing the Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway at Mira Road, in Maharashtra's capital Mumbai, was hit by an unidentified vehicle, on Saturday night. It succumbed to its injuries in the midst of treatment in the early hours of Sunday.

There was an eye-witness to the incident who was later identified as Bhola, who was driving on the highway around the same time. At around midnight Bhola noticed a leopardess crossing the road in front of Hotel Delhi Darbar in Kashimira. A Tata Sumo jeep, that is yet to be identified, hit the big cat who then hobbled its way back into the jungle.

The information was relayed by the eyewitness to the officer in charge at the time at the Kashimira police chowki. They in turn immediately apprised officers at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP). A team from there along with a wildlife rescue ambulance took off for the spot and launched a search for the leopardess.

The injured feline was found lying in the bushes by the rescue team and was picked up from there and put into the ambulance.

G Mallikarjun, chief conservator of forest of SGNP, said the animal was being taken to SGNP but despite their best efforts, at around 2.15am she was declared dead while undergoing treatment in the ambulance itself.

On Sunday afternoon, an autopsy was conducted by a team of veterinarians in the SGNP. The reports from there revealed the cause of death to be a strong mechanical impact (possibly due to collision with a vehicle). This had caused it “multiple haemorrhages, multiple fractures and muscular damage, resulting in hypovolemia and respiratory arrest”.

The official said that the leopardess was also pregnant and was carrying three foetuses. 

In a parallel incident, a seven-year-old leopard, which had been declared 'man-eater'  after it killed a woman and injured four, was shot dead in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district by a professional hunter who was hired by the state forest department on Friday last week.

Source: NDTV