Leopard stuck under IAF runway for 11 days, rescue efforts on

Chandigarh, Mar 22 (PTI) A leopard has been stuck in a 75-feet long cable-carrying pipe underneath the IAF runway here for the past 11 days. Forest officials said frantic efforts were on in a bid to free the big cat stuck in the underground pipe at the Indian Air Force station's subsidiary runway here. Officials from the nearby Chhatbir Zoological Park today laboured hard for new methods to rescue the animal after earlier efforts failed. 

Chandigarh's Chief Wildlife Warden Santosh Kumar said today they were hopeful the leopard will be taken out alive soon. Over the past few days, the officials have devised several techniques, including keeping a chicken and a goat near the pipe as bait, flushing water down the pipe and bursting crackers but the leopard has refused to come out. Experts from the Wildlife Institute of India also visited the site yesterday. About a fortnight back, IAF personnel had seen the animal at the station and the Wildlife Department was informed about it. The leopard was then spotted inside the pipe under the IAF runway. 

"He can survive without any food for about 15 days. Though he has taken water, but the leopard has refused to take any food. We have confined him to a 25-foot area now and are hoping he will come out soon. We are trying different methods and keeping our fingers crossed," Kumar said. He said it was not known how the leopard landed in the IAF area. "But it looks like that he has been inside the pipe on earlier occasions too," the official said, adding a team of veterinary doctors was also present at the site. PTI SUN KUN RBT 

Poacher trio named, hunt on

Ranchi, Feb. 28: Forest officials are on the trail of three accomplices who have been named by a villager held on Saturday with the skin of a leopard they had poached in the Palamau Tiger Reserve.

Amarka Singh, who was arrested while trying to strike a deal with smugglers at Satbarwa on the Jharkhand-Bihar border, has confessed that he was aided by his nephews Krishna and Chatur Singh and Rajeshwar Singh, also a relative.

“During interrogation, Amarka revealed that brothers Krishna and Chatur killed the leopard. Rajeshwar was in charge of identifying buyers while Amarka was the transporter,” said divisional forest officer (core) Premjit Anand.

The forest department is preparing a case against Amarka who has been sent to Latehar jail. “We will leave no stone unturned to prepare a strong case against him,” he said.

Amarka told officials they (the four) were involved in poaching animals, including deer and cheetal, in the reserve for years. “They recently killed a deer and were looking for buyers. However, Amarka told us he wasn’t aware of where the skin was. We are trying to trace it,” said the DFO.

The seized leopard skin was estimated to fetch more than Rs 5 lakh in the international market. The poachers trapped the animal before firing at it. 

“When you trap an aggressive wild animal like the leopard, there are chances of severe injuries. The skin that we recovered had the portion of a leg missing. It bore holes, which suggested that bullets had pierced the leopard’s body,” Anand said.

The nails of the leopard were also missing. Forest officials suspect the nails were also sold off along with some other body parts.

“Unlike the skin, nails aren’t priced high and buyers are easy to get. Nails are used in making accessories such as lockets and bracelets. These find takers, as many believe that evil spirits are kept at bay if one wears lockets made of tiger and leopard body parts,” the DFO explained.

All four involved in the poaching are from Phulwari village in Palamau. Officials are keeping a close watch on the village to trace the absconding trio.

As per norms, the leopard skin along with photographic evidence and the statement of Amarka have been sent to court. Once the court puts its stamp, the forest department will reclaim the skin from judicial custody and arrange for its disposal.

“According to government of India rules, wildlife trophies can no longer be kept in museums. They have to be burnt or destroyed to prevent their misuse or smuggling,” Anand clarified.