Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 5: A full grown male leopard was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Ramnagar Forest Division of district Udhampur today.
A shepherd while grazing cattle noticed the leopard lying in a nallah at Salote village under Rang Panchayat, falling in compartment No. 49 of South Range, of Ramnagar Forest Division and informed a Forest Guard at around 8 am this morning. The Guard then informed the senior officials and the team led by DFO Ramnagar, Anil Kumar Atri, Range Officer Wild Life, Kalidass, Ist Class Magistrate Ramnagar, Mulakh Raj, some FPF men along with Veterinary doctor Dr Anjul Kumar and police reached the spot. After conducting on the spot postmortem, the leopard was cremated in presence of police and Ist Class Magistrate.
Conservator of Forests, Jammu East B M Sharma when contacted said that as informed by the DFO Ramnagar, the animal was decaying. It appeared that body was lying there for the last 3-4 days and remained unspotted. At around 8.30 am today, a local guard of the area informed DFO about the matter and the staff rushed there along with Magistrate, Veterinary doctor and police. As per Supreme Court guidelines, the proceedings were conducted which include on the spot postmortem of the leopard and then disposal (cremation).
DFO, Mr Atri said that apparently there was no mark of bullet injury on any type of wound on the dead body of the leopard. It can not be said at this stage whether animals was given poison by some body or died of any ailment. The postmortem report is yet awaited and things would be clear only after report is submitted by the Veterinary Surgeon. Cognizance of the matter has been taken, Mr Atri maintained.
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