Goa: Leopard trapped in snare dies, probe on

“Prima facie, it appears that the leopard’s rear body got stuck in the snare and it suffered critical injuries. It was unable to free itself from the trap. A team rushed to the spot to attempt to rescue the leopard, but it had succumbed to injuries,” the official said.

Officials said the snares and fences are usually laid to trap wild boards in the area. “It was a locally made snare, not very sophisticated. A combing operation is being undertaken to locate more snares in the area. The carcass of the leopard has been sent for post-mortem, and the exact cause of death will be known after the autopsy. An enquiry will be conducted,” the official added.

In a similar incident in December 2022, a leopard had died after getting stuck in a snare, allegedly laid by poachers to trap wild boars, in Sattari on the outskirts of Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary.

Meanwhile, following a spate of incidents requiring the rescue of leopards in Goa, the forest department is planning to send teams to the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre in Junnar, Maharashtra, and to the Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat to study best practices of rescues and conflict mitigation in complex human-leopard conflicts, The Indian Express has learnt.

An official of the forest department said, “The Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre in Junnar in Pune has a significant population of leopards and is renowned for mitigation and rescue strategies and for complex human-leopard conflicts. Similarly, Gir Forest has experts who specialise in complex leopard-related rescues. So, the idea is to augment rescue related infrastructure and equipment and build capacity for veterinary support and post veterinary care.”

Officials said that with urbanisation and infrastructure development in and around forest areas, the potential for man-animal conflict is likely to increase in the coastal state.

“There are many incidents where we have to respond to calls to rescue leopards in distress in forests, from wells, human habitations and remote locations. In some cases, the leopards are wounded. So, the training helps in learning what tools and specialised safety gear are to be used in specific circumstances,” an official added.

According to recent data, the minimum leopard population in forested areas in Goa is estimated to be around 86.

In May, a female leopard had found itself stuck atop a 20-metre tall coconut tree in Savoi-Verem area in Ponda and was rescued after over 18 hours. In an incident earlier this month, a male leopard was found dead in Ponda with a subsequent probe revealing that it was killed in a territorial fight with another leopard.

Over the past four years, the number of total wildlife rescues has increased in Goa. In 2018-19, 4,814 rescues were reported, followed by 4,899 rescues in 2019-20. The next year, the number of rescues went up to 6,546 and from April 2022-March 2023, 6,608 rescues were reported.