Taking serious note of the death of two-year-old female leopard who was electrocuted in Sohna’s Lala Kherli village, Gurugram district of Haryana on June 20, after being ensnared in an overhead high-tension power cable, the forest department (wildlife) has decided to serve notice to power department or agency concerned for not removing trees below high- tension power wires.

Moreover, district forest officers (wildlife) of the state have also been strictly directed to conduct survey in the protected forest areas and ensure that all the trees below high- tension power wires are removed without delay, said VS Tanwar, Principal Chief Conservator of forests and Chief Wildlife Warden, Haryana.

There are guidelines to keep animals such as elephants, tigers, lions, sloth bear, deer, peacocks, monkeys and flamingos from high tension wires as they may come in contact with high-power tension wires, crossing in the forest area. To protect them while high-tension power wire being installed in the reserved forest areas (wildlife) the power department or the agency concerned was earlier given instructions to remove trees below high-tension power cable. It was blatant violation of provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act and Forest (Conservation) Act for not implementing such instruction by the agency concerned.

ML Rajvanshi, Chief Conservator of Forests (wildlife) admitted that female leopard could be saved, had power department officials followed the forest department’s guidelines by removing all trees below high-tension power cable. Moreover, the district forest officers (wildlife) should have directed the power department officials or agencies concerned to remove such trees.

This is the first case wherein any female leopard died after being ensnared in an overhead high-tension power cable. Department inquiry will be conducted over this issue along with this a notice will be served to the power department for such negligence causing death of female leopard.

He further said that this incident occurred as female leopard might leave their designated area in search of water as summer season is on or in search of food. Or they might come to near residential areas to protect themselves from poaching. Taking serious note of it, instructions have been given to the DFOs to ensure that no trees are available below high tension wires in their jurisdiction limit.

Shyam Sundar Kaushik, district forest officer (wildlife), Gurugram who did not pick up the calls on Monday had earlier said that said that leopards can climb the trees. They even climb up trees with their food. Female leopard climbed up tree and was electrocuted to death. He had denied any negligence on his part regarding the same issue.

It should be mentioned here that the death of two-year-old female leopard who was electrocuted in Gurugram led to panic among the forest (wildlife) department officers. This incident had raised several questions over functioning of forest department (wildlife) officials as well as actual implementation of government’s guidelines for the safety of wildlife.

Located in the foothills of the Aravalli range, the outskirts of Lala Kherli village are densely populated with wildlife. The leopard was first discovered by Satvir Singh, a resident of Lala Kherli, on June 20 morning, while he was walking to a nearby temple (where he is a caretaker), about a kilometre outside the settlement.