Another leopardess dies in the Nilgiris after getting trapped in snare

Female leopard dies after getting ensnared in tea field near Udhagamandalam, sparking criticism from conservationists.

In another incident of a carnivore being killed after being trapped in a snare, a female leopard died, after suffering serious injuries when it was ensnared in a private tea field near Theetukkal, bordering Udhagamandalam town, late on Thursday (December 21, 2023) night.

The leopardess, believed to be around five years old, was first reported to have gotten trapped in a chain-link fence surrounding the field. Following an intimation, Forest Department officials and staff rushed to the spot, and surveyed the area before calling for a forest veterinarian. They decided to tranquilise the animal before extricating it from the area where it was stuck. When forest veterinarians and field staff neared the animal in preparation however, they realized that it had been ensnared in a piece of clutch wiring draped around an opening in the fence to trap wild game. It was then that they realized that the leopardess was not stuck within the fence as earlier suspected.

They tranquilized the animal before cutting the snare, which had gotten entangled around its body. They then loaded the animal onto a cage and prepared to release it back into the wild. Despite administering drugs to reverse the effects of the tranquilizer, the leopard exhibited signs of suffering serious injuries during the ordeal, leading forest department officials to suspect that it had become paralyzed. Shortly afterwards, the rescued leopard died due to its injuries.

N. Sadiq Ali, Founder of the Wildlife and Nature Conservation Trust (WNCT) and former honorary wildlife warden, criticised the Forest Department’s handling of the rescue. “Waiting for a veterinarian to arrive for hours while the animal was stuck definitely played a role in its eventual death,” said Mr. Ali. He added that in cases where animals needed to be rescued, time was of the utmost importance, and that darting an already severely stressed animal often exacerbated the risk of it dying.

“Animal handlers like myself have equipment to contain the animal without using tranquilizers and can easily assist in extricating the animal from snares. However, the Forest Department insists on not using our expertise, but wastes precious time in getting their veterinarians to reach the spot from Mudumalai,” said Mr. Ali.

Conservationists, highlighting the spate of hunting, poaching, poisoning and snaring of tigers, leopards and Indian gaur in the Nilgiris, called on the Forest Department to launch an anti-snare drive in all divisions and to clampdown on farmers and property owners on whose properties the snares are found.

Conservator of Forests (Nilgiris), D. Venkatesh, said that a case has been registered under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and an investigatoon leopard was ongoing.