A pregnant leopardess purported to have been responsible for the death of a teenager in the Forest Research Institute campus on Saturday was shot by authorised hunters late on Monday evening. The body of the big cat believed to be aged about eight years was recovered early on Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, the FRI campus is being monitored and residents have been told to observe precautions considering the frequent visits by leopards to the campus. Walkers from outside the campus will not be allowed to walk in the institute campus before sunrise or after sunset now onward. Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports state that the pregnant leopardess was carrying three unborn cubs in her womb though officials state they are awaiting the post mortem report to ascertain this.
A team of department-authorised hunters led by Sanjay Singh from Moradabad (UP) had set up a machan at FRI on Sunday near bungalow number nine, where the teenager had been attacked fatally. The team was unable to spot the leopard on Sunday though a cage with bait and another bait in the open were placed to lure it.
According to institute officials, a leopard attacked the goat tied as bait near the bungalow on Monday evening. The big cat was shot at 7.23 pm on Monday but it ran away from the site, jumped over a four-foot high wall and entered the bushes. The body of the leopard ess was spotted in the night itself by the hunters but recovered early on Tuesday morning after which it was taken away by department officials for post mortem.
According to the Dehradun divisional forest officer Sushant Patnaik, the FRI campus is being monitored and the institute has been directed to ensure observance of precautionary measures by residents. As to whether the leopardess was pregnant, he said that he had heard so but would be able to confirm it on receiving the post mortem report on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the FRI director PP Bhojvaid has directed restriction on entry of walkers in the campus before sunrise and after sunset. The campus residents have also been told to observe precautions and to avoid walking alone in the dark. Bushes are being cleared and representatives of three employees’ associations have been asked to list sites where lights need to be installed.