Bodies of Panthers, Other Animals Found in Katni Forest
The bodies of two panthers and many other animals supposedly poisoned by poachers have been in Katni district, said officials.
“Two panthers and some other animals – all suspected to have been poisoned by poachers – were Thursday found dead close to a water hole in the Dheemarkheda range of the Kami forest division some 400 km from here,” said Katni divisional forest officer AK Baroniya.
“We received information about two panthers lying dead near a water hole close to village Makranda under the Dheemarkheda range, about 40 km from the Katni district headquarters.
“On reaching the spot, forest department staff found the bodies of two female panthers. One of the panthers was smaller in size prompting the forest staff to assume that the felines were mother and cub,” Baroniya added.
According to the officer, the water hole in vicinity of which the animals were found dead is the only source of water in the area and the poachers might have poisoned the water source that resulted in the death of animals.
Besides the panthers, bodies of a civet cat, a langur, a snake, an owl and a frog were also found.
“The poachers however could not carry away the dead animals due to constant vigil by the forest staff,” he said.
Viscera of the dead animals and samples of the water have been sent for tests and cases have been registered against unknown persons under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1971.
