Leopard run over on highway near Navsari

SURAT: A leopard, believed to be around five-year-old, was found dead on National Highway No. 8 near Alipor village of Navsari on Monday night.
The leopard was apparently hit by a speeding vehicle when it was crossing the road. It died due to severe head injuries as per the postmortem report.
The wildcat was first spotted by a sports utility vehicle (SUV) driver close to Hotel Rajwadi on the highway at around 9pm.He alerted the nearby residents, who called the forest department team.
The postmortem report revealed that the leopard died due to haemorrhage.
"The leopard was bleeding from the mouth and teeth. Eyes had also popped out due to the blow. It seems the leopard was knocked by some truck," range forest officer of Chikhli N N Gavli said.
"Since it was night, no one noticed which vehicle hit the leopard. The area has become a favourite habitat for the leopards due to sugarcane fields and dense vegetation," deputy conservator of forest, Valsad, R L Patel said.
This is the fourth instance of leopard death since January in south Gujarat. Earlier, two leopards were found dead in Tapi and one in Navsari. The deaths were due to starving or injury.
Leopard population in south Gujarat is increasing and their movement near human habitat has become routine affair now. Leopards prefer sugarcane fields due to easy availability of prey like dogs and cattle.