On way to release leopard in the wild, Gujarat officials end up in Maharashtra

On questioning the radical accompanying the large cat, the section residents learnt that they were officials of Gujarat wood section who had travel to merchandise the carnal successful a “suitable forest” area.

The fishermen, on with section residents who had gathered astir by this time, raised objection to the program pursuing which the Gujarat wood section officials returned to the state, the leopard successful tow.

Maharashtra wood section has present begun a probe into however the Gujarat officials ended up successful the state.

They are besides probing into however they managed to procure the vessel – purportedly belonging to the Maharashtra authorities – for the purpose.

Gujarat officials, connected the different hand, said they had plans to merchandise the leopard successful the state’s Narmada territory but ended up successful the neighbouring authorities owed to “poor lighting”.

Noorji Vasave, a section person of Manibeli village, told The Indian Express: “We refused to fto the wood officials of Gujarat merchandise the leopard adjacent our village. There is simply a schoolhouse astir here; besides, 250 families reside successful our village. We are babelike connected sportfishing and carnal husbandry.”

Manibeli borders Gujarat’s Shoolpaneshwar village, which falls successful Narmada district.

Noorji further said, “Our colony is conscionable 1 kilometre distant from the Narmada river. A dense wood separates our dwelling areas from the river. Only recently, a villager mislaid 10 of his goats successful a leopard onslaught successful the neighbouring Sinduri village. We don’t privation the lives of our cattle and radical astatine risk. If Gujarat officials return, we are going to protestation again.”

Reacting to the incident, Salim Shaikh, Range Forest Officer (RFO), Vadpadi, Nandurbar district, said, “After learning astir the incident, we went to Manibeli colony connected Monday and talked to the villagers astir the incident. We took the statements of 10 fishermen who said they recovered Gujarat wood officials travelling successful a vessel with a caged leopard. They claimed the officials were apt to merchandise the leopard, which they managed to stop.”

On however the Gujarat officials arranged a purported Maharashtra vessel for the task, helium said, “We took the connection of the vessel relation who told america that Gujarat’s wood officials contacted the Maharashtra government’s Narmada Vikas Vibhag bureau successful Nandurbar territory and submitted a papers saying that they wanted a vessel for immoderate work. They didn’t notation that they wanted to ferry the leopard and merchandise it. We volition grounds the statements of the idiosyncratic who ordered the boatman to ferry the Gujarat wood officials.”

Shaikh said the section volition besides probe whether this was a one-off incidental oregon had happened earlier also.

“There whitethorn beryllium astir five-six leopards connected the banks of the Narmada successful Maharashtra,” helium added.

Agniveer Vyas, Deputy Conservator of Forests for Kevadia successful Narmada district, said, “The leopard was captured from a colony successful Kevadia and was connected its mode to being released. Our squad did nary wrong. We wanted to merchandise the leopard successful the Mokhadi wood country (in Narmada district), which is connected the borderline betwixt Gujarat and Maharashtra. I judge that owed to mediocre lighting, our squad ended up connected the banks adjacent Manibeli village.”

The leopard was released successful the Mokhadi wood country connected Sunday.