A leopard has been found dead on the outskirts of the state capital Shimla, Friday,police said.
Narender Kumar Kanwar has lodged an FIR under the Indian wildlife(protection) act in the Shimla West police station saying some locals had brutally killed the big cat.
Incidents of leopards being killed in the countryside by villagers is on the rise in recent years in Himachal Pradesh and often these cases are not seriously probed allege animal rights activists.
The habitat of leopards is rapidly shrinking as villagers take over forest land for cultivation, forcing these big cats to venture close to villages where they sometimes end up killing dogs and livestock due to which locals kill leopards.
In a 20 year career published widely. He has worked for the BBC, AFP, The Statesman, IANS and the Business Standard . Known for his hard hitting writing and occasional off-beat stories. He lives in Shimla.
Hue and cry is made by the animal right activists whenever there are stray cases of killing of animals which cause damage to farmers and their crop. They prefer to remain silent when poor animals like chickens/goats are openly slaughtered in large numbers, daily. Strange!