2 arrested for cutting off nails of leopard in HP's Nahan

Nahan (HP), Mar 6 (PTI) Two people were arrested in the Nahan area of Sirmaur district for allegedly cutting off a leopard's nails, officials said on Friday.

The arrest was made after the post-mortem report of the deceased female leopard at the Animal Rescue Centre in Tutikandi, Shimla, revealed a sharp weapon attack on its leg.

Investigating the matter, the Forest department seized CCTV footage from a goat farm in Satiwala village, about 15 kilometres from Nahan Government Hospital, and arrested two people who were later released on bail.

The Forest department had received information about the presence of a leopard under a culvert over a local drain in Satiwala Panchayat.

The leopard was rescued, given first-aid, and transported to the Tutikandi rescue centre, District Forest Officer (DFO), Nahan, Avni Bhushan Rai, said on Friday.

Despite the treatment, the female leopard's condition remained critical, and she eventually died, he said.

Since the two-year-old leopard was a Schedule 1 animal, a post-mortem was conducted.

The report revealed dog bite marks on the carcass and an attack with a sharp-edged weapon on its foot.

A leopard has a total of 18 nails on its feet. Four of these nails were missing from its front foot; apparently cut with a sharp weapon.

Rai said the information regarding the leopard's death was received on February 25, and subsequently, a team was constituted to investigate the matter.

During the probe, the team visited Jogiban Goat Farm and obtained CCTV footage from the facility.

The footage showed that the leopard was trapped in the goat enclosure.

Two men, Shakti alias Bunty, the farm owner, and Neeraj, a worker, were in the enclosure, armed with sharp weapons.

The footage showed one of them with a sickle, while the other was holding an axe. They also carried sticks and stones. They entered the enclosure, and after about 10-15 seconds, the leopard emerged. PTI COR BPL VN VN