A leopard, caught while wandering through a village in South Goa, passed away in the early hours of Tuesday at a zoo where it was taken for medical care, state forest minister Vishwajit Rane stated.
Distressed by the wild animal’s death, Mr. Rane stated he has requested the state government to suspend Deputy Conservator of Forest (DCF) Navin Kumar for supposed neglect of responsibility, which he claims resulted in the tragic event.
The minister informed reporters that the leopard passed away during treatment at Bondla Zoo, located within a wildlife sanctuary, at approximately 2 am on Tuesday. The forest department captured the wild cat on Monday after it was discovered wandering in the village of Villian, located within Sanguem taluka, adjacent to the Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary.
Mr Rane hit out at DCF Kumar over the leopard’s death.
“It is shameful that an officer like Navin Kumar has to be forced to go on the field and do his duty. He was forced to go to Bondla (Wildlife Sanctuary) and assess the situation by the chief conservator of forest,” the minister said.
“It is unfortunate we could not save the leopard,” Mr Rane maintained.
He emphasized that safeguarding wildlife continues to be a key priority for the state government, with NGOs and various stakeholders being involved in the effort.
Citing cases of animals being struck by cars while traversing roads that run through wildlife sanctuaries in Goa, the minister declared he will address the issue with the state government to guarantee speed limits are enforced on these routes.
