Srinagar: The wildlife department Monday said that the leopard, who was believed to have been suffocated to death by angry locals in Pulwama district of south Kashmir last week, had died of cardiac arrest.
On Saturday last, Deputy Commissioner, Pulwama, Neeraj Kumar had ordered an enquiry after a leopard was found dead in Zadoora village of the district. Kumar had constituted a two member team headed by Dr Tariq Qureshi-Chief Animal Husbandry officer Pulwama and Naib Tehsildar Newa, Abdul Rehman and asked them to submit the report within two days.
The post-mortem conducted by the department found that the leopard died due to cardiac arrest, In- charge wildlife officer, Control Room, Bilal Ahmad Reshi told GNS Monday.
The leopard had appeared in the village on Thursday night and taken shelter inside a cave triggering panic among the local residents. The agitated locals had closed the entrance of the cave by placing sand bags and stones from outside. Next morning, the leopard was found dead in the cave that prompted the district authorities of ordering a probe.
The man-wild animal conflict has witnessed an increase in the Kashmir valley during the past few years. The numbers of such conflicts are on increase with every passing day, sources said. More than 30 wild animals were killed in retaliation by villagers and wildlife officials in the Kashmir valley during the past three years. About 100 people have also lost their lives and several hundred were injured in these conflicts during the period in the state.