A leopard cub was discovered dead on Thursday within the Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary area in Mandsaur district, prompting the forest department to launch an investigation into the incident.
Discovery and Initial Response
Mandsaur Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sanjay Raikhere informed the Times of India that the leopard cub was found near the Neemuch-Jhalawar main road, in forest compartment number 1011 of the East Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary. Upon receiving information about the carcass, forest officials promptly secured the area and deployed a dog squad to conduct a thorough search at the site for any clues.
Postmortem Examination
A postmortem examination was conducted by wildlife veterinarians Dr. Akash Valmik and Dr. Sumit Kumar Patel. The cub was estimated to be between six to eight months old. According to the DFO, all body parts of the cub were found intact, which rules out poaching or organ harvesting as the cause of death. However, to determine the exact cause of death, samples have been sent for forensic analysis.
Legal Action
The forest department has registered a wildlife offence case in connection with the incident. Further investigations are underway, and officials are awaiting forensic reports to ascertain whether the death was due to natural causes or human interference.
This incident highlights ongoing challenges in wildlife conservation within the region, as authorities continue to monitor and protect the sanctuary's biodiversity.
