Gandhinagar:
A leopard entered a jungle safari park close to Gujarat’s Statue of Unity and killed a blackbuck deer following which seven extra deer died of shock. The incident occurred throughout the early hours of January 1, triggering a probe by the native forest division.
According to forest officers, the leopard, aged between 2 and three years, managed to breach the well-fenced boundaries of the park, which is positioned inside the periphery of the Kevadia forest division. The park, a key attraction close to the world’s tallest statue, is surrounded by the dense forests of the Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, an space recognized for its leopard inhabitants.
The large cat reportedly entered the herbivore enclosure, the place it attacked and killed one blackbuck. The remaining seven blackbucks are believed to have died from shock and panic following the assault. Forest division officers confirmed that each one eight carcasses underwent autopsy examinations, after which they had been cremated.
Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) Agneeshwar Vyas, overseeing the Kevadia division, defined that whereas leopard actions within the surrounding forests are widespread, that is the primary recorded occasion of a wild leopard getting into the safari park.
He added that the park is monitored across the clock by way of greater than 400 CCTV cameras, and the leopard’s presence was detected virtually instantly. Security personnel had been alerted, and their response prompted the leopard to flee. However, it’s nonetheless not recognized whether or not the leopard has exited the safari park solely.
Following the incident, the park was briefly closed to vacationers for 48 hours. Although the park reopened on January 3, issues stay in regards to the leopard’s potential return.