Leopard dies after rescue, Rane seeks action against officer

Margao: The injured leopard rescued from a house in Villian, Sanguem, died while undergoing treatment at Bondla zoo in the early hours of Tuesday.
Forest minister Vishwajit Rane said he has asked the director general of forests to initiate action against deputy conservator of forests Navin Kumar for alleged dereliction of duty regarding the incident. “Incidents of human-leopard encounters within human habitations have been reported in the past few days, which are both upsetting and deeply concerning,” Rane said.
The leopard entered the residence of Subhash Gaonkar on Monday morning before being trapped by a rescue team from Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary. Rane stressed the need for stricter conservation measures, including implementing speed limits on roads passing through wildlife sanctuaries. This comes just days after a black panther died after allegedly being hit by a vehicle at Konem, Priol, in Ponda.
Rane outlined plans for a comprehensive approach to wildlife conservation, proposing a dedicated wildlife hospital and collaboration with organisations like Wildlife SOS. “The department is committed to addressing these issues in a time-bound manner, with the aim of mitigating human-animal conflicts that tragically resulted in the loss of innocent wildlife,” added Rane, who plans to discuss the matter with chief minister Pramod Sawant.