A fast-moving car rammed into two leopards while they were crossing the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway on Tuesday night, killing one of the big cats. While the driver of the vehicle fled from the spot, forest officials said the animal could have been saved had it received timely medical help.
A fast-moving car rammed into two leopards while they were crossing the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway on Tuesday night, killing one of the big cats. While the driver of the vehicle fled from the spot, forest officials said the animal could have been saved had it received timely medical help.
The other leopard escaped into the nearby forest, they said.
The mishap spot near Sativali Phata is on a stretch between the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and the Tungareshwar Sanctuary where leopard sighting is a regular feature. For years, activists have been demanding measures to minimise risk to wild animals moving from one forest to the other.
On his way home to Virar, Prashant Patil saw a white car knocking down the leopards around 10.30 pm. As Patil and other motorists pulled over, they found the animal bleeding from the mouth and breathing heavily. They contacted the Valiv police who in turn alerted forest officials.
A team of doctors and forest department staffers reached the spot about an hour later, but it was too late. The leopard had bled to death by then. Officials said it was a male and about one year old. They said the other big cat was most likely a female one.
"The leopard could have been saved had it received timely treatment. The nature of the injuries suggested that it was struggled for some time. The body was sent to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park for a post-mortem," said MT Ahire, range forest officer, Vasai.
Ahire said they were concerned about the female leopard which too was injured in the accident. "The injured leopard might die if not treated immediately. We are trying to locate her. Meanwhile, the police are probing the matter and on the lookout for the car's driver."
Local activist Salim Charania said since wild animals are often seen on this part of the highway, the government should put up boards, asking motorists to go slow. "The authorities should a serious note of this case and take corrective measures at the earliest."
The police said the incident affected traffic flow on the route for about 30 minutes.
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