December 09, 2007	Sunday	Ziqa'ad 28, 1428

HARIPUR, Dec 8: Villagers have apparently poisoned and killed two leopards in the Khanpur Forest Range, according to officials. Local people spotted the body of a female leopard on Dec 4 near the Pania Kandi forest, about 45 kilometres from the district headquarters.

The District Range Officer (DRO) of the Wildlife Department said the leopard weighed 45kg and was 7 feet long, adding that she was probably three years old. He said that blood was oozing from the nose and mouth of the dead animal, indicating that she had been poisoned.

The body of another female leopard was spotted in the same area on Friday evening, he said. It was also bleeding from the mouth and nose, he added.

The DRO told Dawn that the animal was also about three years old and was six feet in length.

He said that leopards in the Khanpur area were not uncommon because of the thick forest cover there, which provided them with a suitable environment. He said the animals seldom attacked the cattle grazing in the area.

The DRO said that an FIR had been lodged against two suspects under the Wild Life Act of 1975 and the autopsy report of the two dead animals was awaited. He said the range was host to four to five pairs of leopards. Deer, monkeys, rabbits, jackals, foxes, partridges and Kalij pheasants were also found in the area, he said.

He said his department had only a few staffers and there was only one monitor for the entire Khanpur Range.