Bhanjanagar: Forest Department Sunday arrested six persons in connection with the death of a leopard, which was caught in a trap meant to catch wild boars in Kundakhai forest under Buguda forest range in Ganjam district.
According to Dr Bhagabati Prasad Das, who performed autopsy on the dead animal, the big cat died due to asphyxiation and hunger. The knot of the trap around the animal’s neck resulted in asphyxiation.
The department is yet to reveal the identities of the arrested persons.
Notably, the nearby villagers were surprised to see that a leopard got stuck in a trap laid out to capture wild boars Thursday morning. They immediately informed the forest department. Upon reaching the spot, forest department officials launched an operation to free it from the trap.
During the rescue operation, the animal managed to free itself from the trap. It then mauled Dillip Naik and sneaked into the forest. Later, a mobile team from Bhanjanagar comprising of DFO Surya Narayan Behura, ACF Shankarshan Behera and other officials reached the spot. They managed to capture the animal after several hours.
However, the animal was found dead Friday morning at the time when the officials were to release it in the wild.
Immediately after the incident, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) ordered a probe into the matter and directed the Regional Chief Conservator of Forests (RCCF), Berhampur to investigate into the incident.
PNN