Leopard kills blackbuck near Kevadia; 7 others die of 'shock'
What's the story
A leopard breached a jungle safari park near Gujarat's Statue of Unity in the wee hours of January 1, 2025. The predator killed one blackbuck and caused panic, which resulted in the death of seven others from shock. The incident has prompted local forest officials to investigate how this young leopard managed to cross the well-fenced boundaries of the park in the Kevadia forest division.
Unprecedented breach
First recorded intrusion by wild leopard
Deputy Conservator of Forests Agneeshwar Vyas confirmed this was the first documented case of a wild leopard entering the safari park. He clarified that "leopard movements in the surrounding forests are common," but an intrusion into the park had not been previously recorded. The predator attacked one blackbuck by its neck, resulting in its death, while seven others died due to shock and panic caused by this unexpected attack.
Security response
Park security detects leopard, triggers temporary closure
The park, which has over 400 CCTV cameras, detected the leopard's presence almost immediately. This led to an alert being issued to security personnel, who managed to scare off the predator. However, it remains unclear whether the leopard has completely left the safari park premises. After this incident, authorities decided to temporarily close the park for 48 hours as a precautionary measure before reopening it on January 3.
Preventive actions
Measures taken to prevent future leopard intrusions
Vyas suggested the leopard was a sub-adult and may have strayed into the safari while trying to establish its territory. He assured that "the fencing around the safari was being examined to ensure that it is secure." "As per the procedure, the animals' post-mortem examinations were conducted and the caracasses were confined to flames. We have also checked the periphery and no breach has been found in the fencing," Vyas said.