Leopard killed in train hit near Virur in Rajura

Chandrapur: A female leopard was killed after being struck by a train near Virur in Rajura taluka on Friday morning. The incident again highlighted the growing threat posed by railway lines passing through forest corridors in Chandrapur district.The carcass was found near the Sindhi nullah bridge along the South Central Railway route under the Central Chanda Forest Division. Railway authorities alerted the forest department after spotting the dead animal near pole number 158/C-13 close to Virur railway station.Forest personnel from the Virur range rushed to the site around 7am and confirmed the animal to be an adult female leopard. Senior forest officials, including sub-divisional forest officer Mangesh Giradkar and range forest officers Mahesh Dighe and GR Ingale, inspected the spot along with veterinary experts from the Animal Husbandry Department.Preliminary findings indicated that the leopard suffered fatal injuries after being hit by a moving train while attempting to cross the tracks. An autopsy was later conducted at the Sumthana nursery, following which the carcass was incinerated as per protocol.Chanda Fort-Gondia railway line and Ballarsha-Virur-Kagaznagar railway track, both of them passing through the dense forest area with abundant wildlife are the most vulnerable railway tracks in Chandrapur district. Wildlife activists have repeatedly raised concerns over increasing deaths of tigers, leopards, bears and deer on railway tracks in Chandrapur's forest belt, demanding urgent mitigation measures and stricter monitoring in sensitive zones.