Leopard hunts blackbuck, ‘shock’ kills 7 more at Gujarat’s Statue of Unity safari
Leopard hunts blackbuck, ‘shock’ kills 7 more at Gujarat’s Statue of Unity safari Leopard hunts blackbuck, ‘shock’ kills 7 more at Gujarat’s Statue of Unity safari
A leopard entered the jungle safari near the iconic Statue of Unity in Gujarat and hunted a blackbuck. In the ensuing chaos, seven more blackbucks died due to “shock”.
The incident took place on the night of January 1.
This marks the first incident of its kind in the park, which has previously reported occasional animal fatalities but never a case of predatory intrusion. The Jungle Safari, located near the world’s tallest statue, is a major tourist attraction and home to a wide array of wildlife species.
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According to Agneeshwar Vyas, Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF), the dense forests surrounding Kevadia (now Ektanagar) are home to many leopards, often spotted during the night. However, until now, no leopard had ventured into the Safari Park.
“The sudden entry of the leopard into the enclosure caused widespread panic,” Vyas said. “Despite efforts by guards on duty to drive it away, the leopard managed to kill one blackbuck, while the chaos led to the death of seven more.”
The leopard is believed to have scaled the fenced boundaries of the park. The jungle safari is surrounded by the dense forest of Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, which boasts of a large population of leopards.
The jungle safari park is monitored round the clock with the help of CCTV cameras. On the day of the incident, CCTV cameras showed the leopard entering the park, following which the guards were alerted, who chased the big cat away after some time.
However, before the leopard could be shooed away, it had already hunted a blackbuck and the authorities later found a total of eight antelopes dead.
The carcasses of the antelopes were recovered from the spot and their post-mortem was done before their remains were handled in accordance with government protocols.
“The entire area has been covered with CCTV, so an investigation is going on as to where the leopard is. We have also informed the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and the government about this incident,” a forest official said.