The Forest Department is treating a leopard that suffered serious injuries after getting trapped in a snare in the Cherambadi Range of the Gudalur forest division.
In a statement, the department said it received information that a leopard was trapped in a snare on private land, around two km away from the nearest reserve forest.
A team of workers rushed to the spot, while forest veterinarian K. Rajeshkumar and Saranya, veterinary assistant surgeon, Erumad, were called in. The veterinarian, who is stationed in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, darted the animal with an anesthetic. The leopard was then freed from the snare and checked for injuries.
As its mobility seemed to have been affected by the injuries, the animal was kept in captivity overnight on Saturday and its condition was reassessed.
Officials said the snare could have led to a fracture in one of the limbs and scans would be made to ascertain the severity of the injury. They added that once the condition of the animal was fully assessed, a decision would be made whether it would be released back into the wild or kept in captivity until the injuries healed.
The department has registered a case under the Wildlife (Protection) Act and arrested one person, identified as Rajan Mathew, 39. He is said to have laid a snare to trap wild animals in the area. The department is investigating whether there are more persons involved in hunting the wildlife in the region.
The officials said preliminary investigations revealed that the snares were laid to trap animals like wild boar and deer by poachers for meat. Since 2020, leopards have been the most affected species by snares, while tigers and even sloth bear have been found dead in snares.
