A leopard cub was fatally knocked down by an unidentified vehicle at Ponnallabailu, near Pedda Dornala in Prakasam district, according to Markapur Divisional Forest Officer D. Jayachandra Reddy.
The carcass of the three-month-old male cub was shifted to Dornala on Wednesday for post-mortem, said the DFO while coordinating the necropsy by veterinary doctors. The cub’s mother seemed to have crossed the Srisailam-Dornala road quickly at about 8.30 p.m. but the cub, which was following it, could not make it.
The accident indicated that the number of big cats had increased in the Srisailam-Nagarjunasagar Tiger reserve, he said, and ruled out the possibility of the big cats straying into fringe villages for the sake of water. The accident had, in fact, occurred in the thick forests.
Overspeeding had probably caused the accident, he opined, adding that it had happened despite precautionary measures taken by the authorities such as putting speed breakers for every 10 km and restricting the speed limit to 40 kmph on the ghat road frequented by pilgrims to the abode of Lord Mallikarjuna in neighbouring Kurnool district. Vehicles are not allowed to ply between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. when the wild animals usually go hunting. “We have recommended more stringent measures like imposition of hefty fines on those violating the speed limit on the ghat road,” he added.
