A leopard was killed after being run over by a vehicle in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit district, officials said on Monday. The big cat died on the spot after an unknown vehicle hit it on Sunday night.
The leopard's body was discovered on the road in Jarkallian village by farmers on Monday morning while they were on their way to the fields. Videos recorded by locals show a large crowd gathered around the animal's body as it lies lifeless on the road.
The farmers informed the forest officials who reached the spot to recover the animal's body. It has been sent for post-mortem, they added.
It is not uncommon for leopards and tigers to stray into villages from the nearby Pilibhit Tiger Reserve which is home to the Royal Bengal tiger, leopard, leopard cat, spotted deer, freshwater crocodile and Gharial.
A week ago, a tiger wandered into the Atkona village in Kalinagar and perched on a boundary wall all night as scared villagers kept watch over the big cat. The animal had been sleeping on the wall all night and didn't budge from the spot even after light was flashed at it in the dark by a huge crowd..
The tiger was later tranquilised by forest officers, caged and taken away by the forest department team.
In November, forest officials captured a female leopard ending a three-month operation. The animal was believed to be responsible for the deaths people including three children in Nanpara town of Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich district.The leopardess along with her cubs had struck terror in the area for three months with multiple attacks on residents in nearby villages.
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