A four-year-old leopardess, found trapped in a barbed wire fence on Wednesday (May 22), died hours after being tranquilized. The incident occurred on the property of Unnikrishnan, a resident of Vazhapuzha in Kollengode. Despite efforts to rescue the leopard, internal bleeding, likely exacerbated by the tranquilizer shot, is suspected to be the cause of death.
A post-mortem examination is scheduled to determine any internal organ damage. The tranquilizer shot only grazed the leopard’s body, resulting in minimal drug absorption. Prolonged entrapment in the wire fence caused injuries to the leopard’s leg, tail, and stomach, worsening its condition. Initially, rescuers planned to capture the leopard without sedation, but the animal’s aggression necessitated the use of tranquilizers.
The rescue operation, starting at 7 a.m., lasted until noon. The Rapid Response Team (RRT) sedated the leopard and, after a ten-minute observation period, safely transferred it to a cage. Local residents reported frequent visits by wild animals to the area over the past two years.
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