Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Shocking visuals emerged from Ichgam village in Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam district as locals stumbled upon the lifeless body of a full-grown male leopard on Monday evening. The discovery comes in the wake of another distressing incident in the nearby village of Shuru, where a full-grown leopardess was rescued, leaving behind a desperate search for her missing cub.
Mohammad Yousuf, Block Officer of the Wildlife Department in Budgam, shed light on the events. In a special conversation with ETV Bharat, Yousuf said that a leopard carcass was found by locals in Ichgam Budgam. A team was immediately dispatched to the site, recovering the carcass and transporting it to Dachigam wildlife hospital for a post-mortem to ascertain the cause of its death, he added.
“Initial observations suggest that the beast may have fallen victim to a territorial war between two leopards in the area. The eye of the deceased leopard was found damaged, indicating a fierce confrontation," said Yousuf. He said that simultaneously, a rescue operation is underway in the Shuru village, where a full-grown leopardess was successfully rescued.
However, the mission is far from over as the cub of the rescued leopardess is currently missing. Yousuf added, "Before this incident, we managed to rescue a fully grown leopardess from the Shuru village. The ongoing rescue operation aims to trace and reunite her with her missing cub. The rescued leopardess has been released back into the wild."
These incidents shed light on the escalating human-wildlife conflict in the region, with female animals often venturing into human settlements in search of food for their cubs. The situation poses a serious threat not only to the wildlife population but also to the safety of local communities. Bashir Ahmad, another Block Officer from the Wildlife Department in Budgam, expressed the challenges faced by the department during such rescue operations.
"We take all necessary measures during the rescue operations, but locals sometimes inadvertently create complications for us. What should be a one-hour task often takes us ten hours. Additionally, a shortage of manpower further compounds our challenges, and we are currently managing with casual laborers," he said.
