A leopard that strayed into a house in Palhar Nagar area of Indore on Friday was captured, but not before it injured three people during its escape attempt, officials said.
The leopard, around 8 years old, had come from a forested area near here and caused panic among local residents. It injured two forest staffers and one employee of the Indore Municipal Corporation while efforts were on to capture it.Uttam Yadav, in charge of the civic-run Kamla Nehru Zoo
He said that it was finally captured after being hit by two tranquiliser darts. It would be released into the wild after mandatory medical tests, Yadav said.
Give Detailed Suggestions on Protection of Tigers, Leopards, Elephants: SC
In related news, the Supreme Court on Friday sought detailed suggestions from a lawyer-cum-animal lover, who has raised the issue of human-animal conflicts in and around tiger reserves and forests across the country, for protecting tigers, elephants and leopards.
A bench comprising justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta was told by the petitioner that 115 tigers died last year in India, and according to the official figure of National Tiger Conservation Authority, the number of tiger deaths stood at 98.
The counsel suggested some measures, including compulsory tagging of such animals and GPS tracking to protect them from poaching and electrocution.
"How easy is it to tag a tiger?" the bench asked the lawyer adding, "What is the impact of collaring a tiger, that is not known." When the petitioner raised the issue of the deaths of elephants on railway tracks, the bench asked him to give detailed suggestions to deal with it.
"It would be better if you give us the details. You are saying 'tagging'. You give full details and let them (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change) consider it," the bench said, adding that the needful would be done within four weeks.
During the arguments, the counsel told the bench that these three animals were facing a"dire situation" and several deaths have been reported.
He said tigers have died within and outside the tiger reserves in the country.
The apex court had last year sought responses of the Centre and 17 states on the plea which sought strict implementation of standard operating procedures (SOP) to tackle situations arising out of human-animal conflicts in and around tiger reserves and forests.
The petitioner has also sought the setting up of a committee to examine unregulated activities in forest areas and tiger reserves and has referred to several incidents in which these animals have died.
(Text: PTI, Video: ANI)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)