FIR against 200 villagers in UP for tying leopard’s legs, dragging it

Pilibhit: An FIR under the non-bailable sections 9 and 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act was registered against at least 200 villagers in Pilibhit district after a large number of people in Deura were found allegedly tying a leopard’s legs and mercilessly dragging it in the field on Friday. Officials said the stray leopard may have been beaten with sticks by villagers to cripple it.

Acting on the directions of the state’s chief wildlife warden, Anuradha Vemuri, forest and wildlife division in Pilibhit registered a case late on Friday against ‘unnamed villagers’ of Deura under Gajraula limits.

In a purported video, a man could be seen pulling the feline savagely by its hind leg in presence of rescuers. The incident took place around 9am when locals spotted a leopard and a leopardess in the fields near Mala forest range.

A rescue team led by deputy range officer, Sher Singh, reached the spot but by then, the villagers managed to surround and catch the male feline. The leopard -- believed to be two years old -- was finally rescued by officials and taken for medical examination.

“We called in senior veterinary officer, Dr Mohammad Talha, from Dudhwa Tiger Reserve to examine the rescued leopard, especially in view of possible injuries,” said PP Singh, field director of Pilibhit Tiger Reserve. He added that based on the incident video being circulated on social media, accused villagers would be identified and named in the registered case.

Divisional forest officer, Bharat Kumar, said pug marks of a leopardess were found in the area. “We’ve initially installed two camera traps to monitor the leopardess’ movement. A drone camera will be used as well to rescue the big cat and avoid it falling into the hands of local villagers,” he added.
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