2 trapped leopards 'killed' in two months

HASSAN: Six leopards had been captured by forest officials this year from villages in several taluks in Hassan district. Two of them allegedly didn't make it to a reserve forest. But the forest department claims otherwise.

When one was trapped in October, villagers from Lingarasanahalli reportedly pelted stones at the caged animal, killing it on the spot.

Around a month later, on November 14, another leopard that had strayed into human settlements was captured by the forest department at Kallugudanahalli near Hassan. It, however, allegedly died while being shifted to the wild life sanctuary at Cauvery Nisargadhama near Malavalli in

There is no consensus on this among forest officials, though. While some of them admit that the leopard had died in transit, they claim that the reason for its death is "unknown".

R N Lakshman, deputy conservator of forests (Hassan circle), has a conflicting take. He denies that any leopard had died in the district over the year, adding that a person, instead, was suspected to have been mauled to death by a big cat in Hardanahalli. "We are not aware of any death. All we did was to release the trapped animals into the wild."

Wildlife activists claim that an overdose of tranquilizer had led to the second leopard's death and that forest officials covered it up to save face.

The leopard is protected under schedule-I (offering absolute protection) of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and its killing is a highly punishable offence.

Sources claim that one of the six captured leopards had been fitted with a radio collar to track its movements and released into the Bhisle reserve forest. But forest officials deny this.

Hassan figures high on the list of human-animal conflict-prone zones, which includes Mysore, Udupi and Tumkur. Elephants, leopards and slot bears have often strayed into human habitats. Parts of Sakleshpur and Alur taluks complain of elephant menace, leopards frequent Hassan, Arakalgudu and Holesnarasipur taluks, and sloth bear attacks are restricted to Arsikere taluk.

Three persons have reportedly been killed by leopards over the past two years.

Wrong dosage can lead to death

A concoction of Xylazine and Ketamine hydrochloride is used to tranquilize leopards, explains Dr Vasanth M Shetty, dean of Government Veterinary College, Hassan. The quantity of the solution used depends on the weight and condition of an animals.

For a healthy, big cat weighing 50-6s0 kg, 60-90 mg of the mix is added to a dart. For one that weighs less, only 30-40 mg is used. It takes an hour for the effect of the tranquilizer to wear off.

Shetty warns that a wrong dosage can result in death. "There is a reversing agent, Yohimbine hydrochloride, which can be administered in case of any complication seen immediately after tranquilization."