Leopard cub found dead in Delhi’s Alipur; accident suspected

New Delhi, Dec 13 (PTI) A leopard cub was found dead on National Highway 44 near the Khatushyam temple in outer-north Delhi’s Alipur in the early hours of Wednesday, police said.

Police received a call about it around 4 am, they said.

A police team reached the spot and found the animal’s body, an official said, adding that it appeared to be a case of a road accident.

The forest department was informed for further necessary action, he added.

A week ago, a leopard was spotted in South Delhi’s Sainik Farm area and the forest department had put up trap cages to capture the animal.

As the trap came up empty, forest officials said they figured the leopard had gone back to the Aravalli forests.

Another police officer said forest officials would check if this is the same animal that was spotted in south Delhi.

Some residents have claimed that they spotted a leopard in Mukmelpur village located in Alipur two days ago, the official added.

A Delhi forest department official, however, told PTI that there was no possibility of a leopard moving from Asola to Alipur since there is no corridor or forest patch that connects the two places.

“As per the reports… the leopard was found in Alipur, which is in the northernmost part of Delhi. There is absolutely no possibility of a leopard going from Asola to that point. It is almost 45-50 kilometres…,” the official added.