Three leopards were found dead on Friday within one kilometre radius in an area where the Rajaji tiger reserve, Lansdowne forest division and Haridwar forest division are connected to each other. Further one leopard was also found dead in the Dehradun forest division. The discovery of the leopard bodies within a kilometre of each other has made the forest officials suspect poisoning though the actual cause of deaths will be ascertained after the post mortem report is received.
According to the Rajaji tiger reserve director PK Patro, department staff on patrol discovered leopard bodies in Chidiyapur range of Haridwar forest division, Laldhang range of Lansdowne forest division and Rawasan range of Rajaji tiger reserve on Friday morning. These leopards are estimated to be four to five years old. Additionally, a leopardess aged about three years was also found dead in Lalpani compartment of Dehradun forest division on the same day. In his written communication to the chief wildlife warden, Patro states that the bodies of the three leopards in Lansdowne forest division, Haridwar forest division and Rajaji tiger reserve were found within one kilometre radius which is suspicious. For the detailed probe of this area, three teams of the Lansdowne and Haridwar forest divisions along with Rajaji tiger reserve have been formed. The dog squad from Rajaji tiger reserve has also been sent to the area. A team of veterinarians was also formed for conducting the post mortem of the three leopard bodies at the Chidiyapur rescue centre.
The Haridwar divisional forest officer Akash Verma said that prima facie it seems that the leopards were poisoned but exact cause of death will be ascertained after post mortem. It is pertinent to mention here that at times when domesticated cattle are preyed upon by big cats, the owners of the cattle have been known to poison the kills in retaliation.