Leopard, captured after tranquilizing, dies

A leopard died in Chhattisgarh's Gariaband district after it was tranquilized and being transported to Raipur for treatment on Saturday.

The animal was already ailing, starving and its thigh-bone was shattered, an official said.

The female leopard, around two years old, was moving around Kharhari village in Parsuli forest range for the last few days, causing panic among locals, said Mayank Agrawal, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO).

On October 28 it attacked a calf in the village.

The villagers managed to rescue the calf. The leopard reportedly received some injuries during the incident, Agrawal said.

On Friday evening, a rescue team of forest personnel tried to capture the leopard from the vegetable garden outside a house, but darkness hampered the operation, he said.

On Saturday morning, a team of wildlife veterinarians from Raipur tranquilized the animal and took him to Gariaband town in a cage, he said.

Its condition was serious so it was referred to Raipur-based Nandanvan Zoo for treatment, the DFO said.

But the leopard was found dead when they reached the state capital.

"Autopsy revealed that its femur (thigh bone) of right hind leg was completely fractured. No food was found in its stomach which shows the animal was suffering from starvation," Agrawal said.

Preliminary examination ruled out death by overdose of tranquilizing medicine, he added.

Viscera samples were sent to Jabalpur for forensic tests to ascertain the exact cause of death, he added.