Mizoram: Leopard cat found dead near Aizawl civil hospital

A leopard cat was found dead on Friday night on a roadside at Aizawl’s Dawrpui West locality, Forest Department officials stated.

Residents of Dawrpui West locality stated that a leopard cat was first spotted three years ago, at the boundary cliff on the western side of Civil Hospital, Aizawl. They said that it was not seen for a while but was spotted again last December 27.

Isaac Laldinthara (Aitea), a resident of Dawrpui West, who has often seen the leopard cat in their neighbourhood said, “The leopard cat is not afraid of humans as the residents of our locality never tries to harm it. We often spot it during the night time, and just a few days back, my neighbour spotted it sitting on the branch of a mango tree in his garden.”

Isaac also said that on Friday night, two girls in his locality saw the leopard cat falling off from the cliff n the main road. “They were a bit hesitant to touch it as it was still moving its legs. When it stopped moving, they went and picked up the cat and put it in a box. They informed me about the incident and I immediately informed the Forest Department officials,” he added.

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The Forest/Wildlife Officials on Friday night took the dead leopard cat for an X-ray to check whether there were any bullets stuck in its head or body. They reported that they did not find any bullets, but an old injury in its left hind leg. 

The Forest/Wildlife officials also conducted a post-mortem examination, and the result is still awaited. They had registered a case under Aizawl Wildlife Division- EF&CC/AWD/1 of 2025 and an FIR has been submitted to the police.

It is worth mentioning that a Leopard Cat (Prionailurus Bengalensis) is a member of the Felidae family, and protected under Schedule I, Part 1 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. Anyone causing harm to it can be penalised with an imprisonment of three years, which can be extended to seven years.

It is a nocturnal and solitary carnivore which feeds on rodents and is an important species for controlling rodent populations. It usually has litters of 2 to 4 kittens and the gestation period can vary from 65 to 70 days.

They are abundant in wetter areas that receive more rainfall especially near water sources, tropical forest, semi-desert, and agricultural regions, and may be found at heights up to 3000 meters. It is restricted to North East India, northern Himalayan states, West Bengal, Odisha, and pockets of Western Ghats.