BENGALURU: The recent case of a road kill of an elusive melanistic leopard (black panther) in Honnavar forest division and chopping of its body parts has shocked both authorities and wildlife experts.
Four leopards have died in Honnavar division between 2009-16 -- three in road kills and one mowed down by a train. In the recent road kill at Gundabal section in Hiregutti range, a leopard’s head and legs were chopped off by miscreants.
Speaking to Express, Vasant Reddy, DCF, Honnavar said this incident has been thoroughly investigated with no links found to any inter-state gangs. “We arrested two people and one more is hiding in Mangaluru. We recovered the head of the animal. Locals did not know how to preserve the body parts or how to market them. We took forensic help from police, did a detailed post mortem and found it was a road kill. We also found that there was no linkage to any gangs and the three locals had tried to take advantage of the situation.”
Canara Scenario
Between 2010 and 2016, 11 leopards have died in road kills in Canara Forest Circle. Added to this, three carcasses were found and seven cases of seizure of skin/parts reported. Experts say this is just the tip of the iceberg as this species is facing problems from heavy vehicular movement as well as local gangs in Uttara Kannada district.
Wildlife conservationist G Veeresh says, “As statistics show, a big threat is from poachers for their skin, claws, nails and other parts. In fact, illegal trading and rising road kills may ultimately affect the black panther’s density in this region.”
There are no organised gangs operating in Honnavar division, Reddy clarified.
Unlike other districts, Uttara Kannada has 80 per cent rain forests and, when people step out from their homes, they invariably land up in a forest. With road connectivity between Uttara Kannada and Belagavi being good, the chances of road kills too are high. Reddy says even other animals such as Sambar are killed o roads.
Veeresh says Forest authorities have failed to gather intelligence on poachers. However, the DCF countered by saying the staff have been trained by forensic experts.With leopard movement being more, unfortunately, this species has become a victim of road kills,”he adds.
Black panthers, found in dense evergree forests, are nocturnal in nature. They are listed as a threatened species under the IUCN list and hunt herbivores like mouse, barking deer, chita, etc.