Leopard caught by locals in Kerala dies of suffocation

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A five-year-old male leopard, spotted near PSVTM School at Iravon, Konni in Pathanamthitta, and caught by the locals on Saturday, died due to injuries sustained during its capture, at Njalloor forest station.

The leopard was spotted near the school at 9 am, but disappeared into the nearby bushes. The locals informed the police and forest officials about the presence of leopard in the area.

The search came to an end after the pug marks were traced near Therakathu Muttattu Padi on the other bank of Achankovil River, leading to its capture by 1.30 pm.

The tranquilized cat was taken to Njalloor forest near Konni for check-up by a team of veterinary surgeons led by forest vet surg. Sunil. The animal succumbed to injuries during treatment, said Pradeep Kumar, DFO, Konni to DC.

“A forester and three locals were injured while trying to bring the wild cat under control. A news camera man, Aji Pushkar, was also attacked by the animal. Injured forester Devalisis was taken to Medical College Hospital, Trivandrum, and the other three were taken to Medical College Hospital Kottayam,” Pradeep Kumar added.

It is suspected the animal strayed into human habitat either from Kummannoor or Mundomoozhi forests nearby.