Leopard roaming in Bengaluru dies after shots fired to neutralise it

Bengaluru: A leopard that had been roaming the streets of Bengaluru for the last few days died on Wednesday when shots were fired to neutralise it after it injured two forest officials.

The big cat was injured in the operation and succumbed to the gunshot wounds while undergoing treatment at a veterinary hospital, forest officials said.

The leopard was shot by an official in the Bengaluru suburb of Singasandra after it injured two officials in an attack during the combing operation.

A veterinarian and a forest official were injured when the leopard attacked them. The incident occurred when the veterinarian was trying to tranquillize the big cat.

The incident forced a forest official to fire shots to neutralise it. The injured leopard was shifted to a veterinary hospital in Bannerghatta, where it succumbed to its injuries.

According to Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Subhash Malkhede, the injured veterinarian was taken to a hospital.

The animal was first spotted on the night of October 28 in the Singasandra area near Electronic City in Bengaluru.

Stray dogs were seen chasing the leopard. The CCTV image has sent panic among the residents. The next day it was spotted at the apartment complex in Kudlu Gate on October 29.

The area where the leopard was spotted is not very far from the Bannerghatta National Park from where it is believed to have come to the city.

Forest officials had deployed four cages to capture the leopard. Over 70 officials and other staffers of the forest department were involved in the combing operation. A team from Mysuru had also arrived to capture the leopard.