Speeding vehicle leaves leopard hurt on national highway

A screen grabs of a video showing a car passing by the injured leopard on Tuesday

A full-grown leopard was injured by a speeding vehicle on a national highway between Kolhapur and Karad. A video of the big cat on the roadside has gone viral, once again highlighting the need for underpasses on busy roads coursing through animal habitats. The widely shared video shows the injured leopard sitting on the edge of the road with vehicles moving too close to it and onlookers on the other side.

Satara Deputy Conservator of Forest Bharat Hada said, "On Tuesday night between 10-1.30 pm, we were informed by the locals that a leopard had been hit by a vehicle near Chandoli National Park on the Mumbai-Bangalore highway. Our team immediately reached the spot along with a veterinary officer. But the animal had escaped into nearby sugar cane fields by then." He said the search continued through Wednesday night as well without success.

"A villager showed us a video of the leopard that he had captured. Our veterinarian feels the animal appears to be fit but still we have asked the people to update us if they see an injured leopard," added Hada. Officials have also installed camera traps to trace the leopard. Activists say it is time authorities started building underpasses to ensure safety of these animals.