Leopard killed in territorial infighting in Junagadh village

01-03-2010
Leopard killed in territorial infighting in Junagadh village
Times of India
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=TOIA&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI&Enter=true&Skin=TOINEW&GZ=T&AW=1267612227171

A leopard was killed in a territorial infighting between two big cats in a village of Sutrapada taluka on Friday night, said forest department officials on Saturday.

According to officials, the incident occurred on the outskirts of Matana village near Dhamlej in Sutrapada taluka where shepherds herding their cattle back to the village spotted the two big cats growling at each other in the bank of Somat river that flows by the village.

"Villagers told us that some of them had seen the leopards engaging in a battle that lasted for more than halfan-hour. Upon inspecting the site on Saturday morning, we found the dead leopard. It was a five-and-half-feet long three-year-old male. The beast was badly mauled and its head was partly chewn by its opponent," said range forest officer A R Vaghasiya.

Vaghasiya attributed the leopard's death to territorial infighting. "It appears that the river was the territory which one of the leopards had breached by crossing it, provoking the fight," he said.

Meanwhile, villagers of Matana have urged the forest department to nab the killer leopard.