In a freak mishap, a full-grown male leopard was critically injured after being hit by an unidentified vehicle on the NH-44 on the outskirts of Penukonda in Sri Sathya Sai district in the early hours of Tuesday.
According to the information, the leopard injured in the hit-and-run case was sighted by the vehicle riders in the morning. The forest officials rushed to the spot and shifted the injured leopard to the veterinary hospital at district headquarters Puttaparthi. It was observed that the injured leopard could not be seen on the road due to darkness, and the rescue operation commenced after dawn, making the animal suffer blood loss and slip into unconsciousness.
Forest Range Officer (Penukonda) told The Hindu that the leopard which emerged from the nearby hillocks tried to cross the NH, leading to the mishap. “The animal received a head injury and is currently under treatment in Puttaparthi. We are yet to decide whether to shift it to SV Zoo Park in Tirupati for critical care,” he said.
