Chandrapur : A six-month-old female leopard was killed after being hit by a train on the Ballarshah–Gondia railway line in compartment 418 of Mamla forest range, taking the number of leopard deaths on the route to eight and total wildlife fatalities to over 140.
The autopsy confirmed that the leopard died after being hit by a moving train. The incident occurred along a crucial wildlife corridor connecting Kawal tiger reserve in Telangana and Tadoba tiger reserves in Chandrapur, which facilitates the movement of tigers, leopards, bears and other wild animals. Mamla range falls under Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM). The leopard cub might have been crossing the track with its mother when it came under the train accidentally. Following the incident, a team of foresters conducted an inquest at the spot and removed the carcass for post-mortem examination. FDCM assistant managers Kadam and Uike, railway police sub-inspector Mohammed Mugeesuddin and Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel Thombre were present. Representatives of the NGO Habitat Conservation Society (HCS) led by president Dinesh Khate also visited the site to verify the incident. The HCS has called for coordinated action by the forest and railway departments, including speed restrictions on sensitive stretches, identification of accident-prone locations and regular monitoring, to prevent further wildlife deaths along the corridor.