In a rare incident, a wild leopard entered the safari area of the Statue of Unity (SoU) complex in Gujarat’s Narmada district, killing one blackbuck. Shockingly, seven other blackbucks reportedly died due to shock, forest department officials said on Saturday.
Efforts are made to capture the leopard and are ongoing.
The leopard, believed to be a sub-adult between two and three years old, sneaked into the herbivore section of the Sardar Patel Zoological Park, located near the iconic Statue of Unity in Ekta Nagar. The incident occurred during the early hours of January 2, officials said.
Following this, the park was temporarily closed to visitors but reopened on Saturday. Forest officials in the Kevadia division have been on high alert for the past 48 hours, closely monitoring the movements of the elusive big cat. “The leopard fled upon spotting the guards, and we are currently analyzing CCTV footage to track its movements,” a senior official said.
Autopsies were conducted on all the dead blackbucks to determine the exact cause of death. Officials confirmed that the blackbuck fatalities were attributed to a combination of the leopard’s attack and shock-induced trauma.
The tragic incident has raised concerns about wildlife management and security at the safari park, which houses several species in open enclosures. While the herbivore area is designed to ensure the safety of its inhabitants, authorities are now working on enhancing monitoring and safeguarding measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
Tourists have been reassured that the park is safe to visit, as efforts continue to locate and safely remove the leopard from the premises.
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