A male leopard died on Monday near Ghoti toll naka at Mumbai-Nashik highway while road crossing when a car hit the animal. The autopsy conducted by the Igatpuri range officer’s states that the big cat died due to injury and shock.
The incident took place on October 31 at around 6 am when a car ran over the big cat.
A team of forest officials rushed to the spot, after which the leopard’s body was disposed after an autopsy. The leopard is believed to be have been around 6 years old.
Leopard deaths have become frequent in the past few years. A study conducted in 2012 by a group called ‘Mumbaikars for SGNP’ that is an initiative of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) had revealed that 40 leopards had died in road accidents along the periphery of SGNP between the years 1994-2011. It also revealed that a majority of the accidents took place between Ghodbunder village and Vasai, near Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary (TWS).
In January 2015, a five-year-old male leopard died near Vasai Phata on Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway after a speeding vehicle going towards Ahmedabad hit the big cat.
In 2014 too, young leopard had died in a road accident highlighting need for measures to curb the rate of the animal dying due to road crossing. The SGNP authorities at that time had claimed that in order to reduce the animal’s road accidents, they would install boards along the highway, but not much has been done in this regard. SGNP officials also have plans to speak with the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) authorities to find solutions and would try to restrict the speeding of vehicles in that area, where animals cross frequently.
Speaking to The Asian Age, leopard expert Krishna Tiwari, “Installing of reflective signboards, which give information to the vehicles that there is a wild animal crossing area and so the speed of the vehicles should be reduced are essential.”
