Three days have passed since the decayed carcasses of a leopard and a cub were found at the Bhilodia village ravines of Dabhoi taluka, but the Forest department is yet to find any clue about the cause behind their deaths. The department is now completely banking on the viscera reports, which will come from the Forensic Science Laboratory in Surat only after a fortnight.

On Sunday, the villagers informed forest officials about the decomposed carcasses of a female leopard and her cub lying in the river ravines. While there is no circumstantial evidence that points towards the poisoning of the big cats, forest officials are trying to get information from the villagers about the deaths.

“The viscera samples have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory and the report is expected to come in a fortnight’s time. We had searched the surrounding area for any sort of circumstantial evidences, but there was nothing around. We are still communicating with the villagers in case we get some information related to the deaths of the leopards. However, the most crucial part of the investigation will be the FSL report, because we will change the course of investigation if there is any poisonous substance found,” said Nayan Desai, District Conservator of Forests (Vadodara circle).

The range forest officers too admitted that the incident has become a challenge for them. “We have been interacting with the villagers, but their statements are not giving any clue that can prove that the leopards were poisoned. We are still keeping our information network activated so that if there is something we can act on it,” said D B Joshi, Range Forester.