The forest department rushed to the spot after which the doctor examined the leopard and declared him dead
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Day after a 3-year-old leopard was found dead after an unidentified vehicle rammed into it, the Pune Forest Range has begun examining various such routes in their jurisdiction where such animals are found dead. They plan to put up a signboard that cautions citizens to drive slowly.
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On Wednesday in the wee hours at around 1.30 am at Kandili village on Pune Nashik state highway near Junnar of Pune district, a leopard was found in a pool of blood. The forest department rushed to the spot after which the doctor examined the leopard and declared him dead.
Based on this, Vijay Devkar, a resident of Wadgoan Kanchan lodged a case. The leopard was three years old and was male. Prima facie as per the post mortem report mentioned the cause of death was due to an unidentified vehicle hitting him by accident.
Vivek Khandekar, chief Conservator officer (Pune division) said, "The animals get scared when vehicles suddenly appear. In this incident as well, we suspect something similar. However, it was the duty of the driver of the unidentified vehicle to alert us or the police. The leopard would have probably been alive."
He added, "To avoid such accidents, we are currently studying accidental spots and the whereabouts endangered species and accordingly plan to put up signboards cautioning people to drive slowly and avoid harming animals."
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