In a heartbreaking video from Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, a leopard is seen being abused and harassed by some villagers. The video surfaced online and went viral immediately. Many forest officials and conservationists have criticised such behavior towards wild animals and have demanded immediate action against the perpetrators.
In the video, the leopard seems unwell and surrounded by many men. Then, one man in red pants pushes the others away and sits on the leopard’s back. The leopard was found roaming in the forest near Iklera in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas district.
2016 batch IFS officer of West Bengal cadre, Mr. Parveen Kaswan, who is Deputy Director in Buxa Tiger Reserve, posted the video on X and wrote, “Identify the animal here !! Never stress wild cats like this, they are very dangerous. From Devas.”
Identify the animal here !! Never stress wild cats like this, they are very dangerous. From Devas. pic.twitter.com/HduLkk8tPl
— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) August 30, 2023
1996-batch senior IFS officer and Inspector General of Forests, Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Government of India, Mr. Ramesh Pandey also expressed sadness and, posting the video, wrote: “And we call them (leopard) beast and man-eaters.”
And we call them beast and man-eaters. pic.twitter.com/oD0vxdwWKN
— Ramesh Pandey (@rameshpandeyifs) August 30, 2023
In the video, the villagers are also seen gathering around the leopard and trying to take selfie with it. They petted it and even tried to ride it. It is really heartbreaking!
