A panther 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 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 pm but the cub, which was following it, could not make it.
The mishap 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 village for the sake of water. The accident had, in-fact, occurred in the thick forests.
Overspeeding had probably caused the mishap, he opined, adding that it had happened despite precautionary measures taken by the authorities like 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 the neighbouring Kurnool district.
Vehicles are not allowed to ply between 9.00 pm and 6.00 am when the wild animals usually go for hunting. “'We have recommended more stringent measures like imposition of hefty fines on those violating the speed limit on the Ghat road',” he added.