Maharashtra: Two leopards, as many sloth bears electrocuted in Chandrapur

On Saturday, Chandrapur Chief Conservator of Forest Rama Rao said a galvanised iron wire was laid for 254 m near an 11-KV distribution line. “Two full-grown leopards, a male and a female, and two full-grown sloth bears, also a pair, were electrocuted (by the wire) in the defence colony of Ordnance Factory, Chandrapur.”

Chandrapur Honorary Wildlife Warden Bandu Dhotre said the spot from where the carcasses were found is located just 50 m from the forest adjoining the defence colony. “Poachers had apparently laid the wire to catch herbivores, like cheetal and sambhar, but ended up killing leopards and sloth bear. The incident not only exposes how wildlife is unsafe here but also highlights how porous security is at such a highly sensitive defence area like this,” Dhotre added.

Ordnance factory general manager Rajneesh Lodwal ruled out a possibility of a security breach. “Our factory is fully secured. It is true that people from nearby villages do sometimes intrude into the residential area since it’s open at some points, but we are constructing a compound wall and it will be completed soon,” he said. Lodwal added that police and forest officials were investigating the incident.