Leopard cub dead in fierce beast-fight in Gir forests, killer also looses tail in mothers’ counter-attack

Junagadh: A deadly beast-fight in Gir forests late last night left a 4 month old leopard cub dead while the ‘killer’,a leopard itself also had to loose its ‘tail’ in the counter-attack of the mother leopardess who had turned furious to avenge its little-ones’ death.

The incident took place on the outskirts of a village in Visavadar taluka of Junagadh district, famous for large presence of leopards (Deepadas in local Gujarati language) in the forest otherwise known as the sole abode of Asiatic lions.

A forest official today said that a sexually aroused leopard tried to forcefully mate with a leopardess (Deepadi) living temporarily in a farm in Padar-Prempara village with its female cub. On refusal it attacked the cub of the leopardess and killed it. This made the leopardess furious and she counter-attacked and in the fierce fighting that ensued, the 10 year old killer male leopard had to loose its tail. It was torn apart by the leopardess.

The injured and tailless leopard was caged by the forest department employees today. His cut tail has also been recovered. The dead cub, by whose side the agonized mother leopardess had spent the night, was later somehow taken away by the forest department employees and buried after post mortem.

The saddened mother leopardess has gone deep in to the jungles while the tail-less killer was being treated in the animal care center at Shashan Gir.

DeshGujarat