KURNOOL: A leopard aged about one year was found dead at Racherla ghat section near Garladinne village in Pyapili mandal in the early hours of Sunday. Dhone DFO Chandrasekhar said the leopard was fatally knocked down by an unidentified speeding vehicle. It is the second such incident in the district as a female tiger cub was found dead on the railway track near Chelima village in Nandyal forest division on Friday.
The frequent deaths of tigers and leopards under mysterious circumstances in Nallamala range of Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve gives rise to apprehensions as to what is the real reason behind the spike while forest officials maintain that reported deaths were investigated forensically.
Poaching has been going on unabated despite claims by the forest officials to the contrary, not conforming to the reality on the ground.
“The officials should take steps to curb poaching as most of the tigers died due to unnatural causes,” said B Suresh, an animal lover.
“We are conducting patrolling and have set up water pits for wild animals. We have stepped up vigil to protect big cats,” said Chief Conservator of Forest K Gopinath.
Grim reminder of the threats
When the water bodies go dry, wild animals stray into human habitats in search of water, exposing them to poachers. To stem this movement and ensure the right flora and fauna balance, forest officials set up water pits in forests.
