An eight-month-old male leopard was found dead on Gurgaon-Faridabad road near the toll plaza in Gurgaon late on Tuesday night.
The forest department officials received an information from the police post near the toll plaza around 10.30 p.m. about the cub lying in a pool of blood near the road. “Acting on the information, a rescue team reached the spot and found the animal to be dead. The team noticed injuries on the animal’s head suggesting that he could be hit by a speeding vehicle. The post-mortem report is awaited to ascertain the exact cause of death and more details,” said District Forest Officer Ram Kumar Jhangra.
The bodies of five leopards have been found in the area during the past one year. Earlier, a leopard was found dead under mysterious circumstances in ITC classic golf course in Manesar in April last. During the investigation, wildlife department officials had stumbled upon three more leopard carcasses. In November last, an 11-year-old male leopard had died in a road accident on the Delhi-Jaipur National Highway in Manesar.
“One of the big reasons for the leopards to come on the roads is the encroachment taking place in Aravalli forest. A large number of farmhouses have come up in the den of wild animals, proving to be a security threat for them. These animals also come on the main road in search of water,” said Mr. Jhangra.
