A two-year-old female leopard was killed after being hit by a speeding heavy vehicle in the Mala range of the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, forest officials said on Sunday.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Bharat Kumar said the incident occurred late on Saturday evening when the feline was crossing a road inside the forest.
"The impact was so severe that the leopardess got stuck in the vehicle and was dragged for nearly 200 metres," Kumar said, adding that forest staff on duty intercepted the vehicle, but the driver abandoned it and fled the scene.
As the forest personnel approached the injured leopard, a forest personnel identified as Anokhelal was attacked by it, Kumar said.
The forest personnel sustained injuries and was immediately rushed to the district hospital for treatment.
According to officials, the leopard was in immense pain and reacted violently to human presence.
The forest team initiated treatment procedures upon arrival at the scene, but the leopard succumbed to injuries before any medical assistance could be provided.
The carcass has been sent to the district headquarters for postmortem.
Efforts are being made to trace the driver of the vehicle and strict action will be initiated against him under the Wildlife Protection Act.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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