India: Injured leopard recovers, soon to be on display

TNN 19 November 2009, 10:56pm IST

KANPUR: The ferocious female leopard which was brought to the Kanpur zoo from the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, a month back was now recovered and will soon be on display for the visitors at the zoo. it was injured while enclosed in the cage.

The authorities claimed that the man-eater is brought to the zoo. They were a part of the zoo on earlier occasions. Leopards that belong to the cat family were acknowledged as good sprinters. They were also said to be capable of climbing up the trees and thus were good hunters.

Director Kanpur zoological park K Praveen Rao informed TOI that the female leopard is in the quarantine ward and its de-worming schedule is also complete. “Before it is moved out of the ward, it will be properly vaccinated… only then it will be put on display for the visitors.”

A zoo keeper informed TOI that the wild cat was gradually getting used to the zoo environment. But still it is not in the situation to move out off the ward. The cat now consumed four kilograms of meat everyday and was healthy. Rao said the cat was familiar with the keeper who serves the meat.

However, a senior zoo official explained the reason for the leopard being ferocious. He said when a leopard becomes old and weak it becomes man-eater. For such big cats, human beings are soft and easy target, enough to satisfy their appetite. Cutting of the green cover at a vast scale and interference of the mankind in the jungles also annoyed these wild animals leading them to an extent that they even start attacking human beings, he added.

Meanwhile, zoo authorities informed that the severely injured hyena which was brought to Kanpur zoological park from Guthaiya village in Rura on Monday evening after its brief encounter with the humans was under constant watch in the zoo. “Its condition is critical and efforts were made to revive it…antibiotics were provided to it and its regular medication was going on”, said an official.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/Injured-leopard-recovers-soon-to-be-on-display/articleshow/5248526.cms

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