Bhubaneswar: A leopard carcass was found lying near the Budhijhari protected forest area under the Singhapada section of Nayagarh district.
However, the exact reason behind the death of the leopard is not known, but preliminary investigations suggest that it might have died due to electrocution caused by a live wire set up to hunt wild boars.
Upon being informed, officials from the Khandapada forest division visited the site and investigated the matter. The forest department has sent samples from the leopard’s body for further examination to ascertain the exact cause and nature of the death.
The Nayagarh forest division officer stated that samples from the leopard’s body would help ascertain the exact cause and nature of the death.
The death of the leopard has also brought attention to the menace of electrocution caused by live wires set up by poachers to hunt wild animals.
Meanwhile, the incident raised concerns among wildlife experts and animal conservationists in the state regarding rising cases of illegal poaching inside protected forests of the state.
It’s a matter of coincidence that the death of a leopard in Nayagarh occurred on the same day Odisha Forest, Environment, and Climate Change Minister Ganesh Ram Singkhuntia revealed that 34 leopards and three Royal Bengal Tigers had lost their lives in the state over the last five years. Seventeen out of 34 tigers were killed by poachers while three died after being electrocuted.
