Leopard kills blackbuck in Gujarat safari park near Statue of Unity, 7 deer die of 'shock'

The seven other blackbucks that died after are said to have been dead due to 'shock' and 'panic' after the leopard killed one.

In an unsettling event in the world of wildlife, a leopard killed a blackbuck after which seven more deer died out of 'shock' and 'panic'.

As per a report by NDTV, the incident happened on January 1 at a jungle safari park near Gujarat's Statue of Unity, which is situated around Kevadia forest division.

A leopard aged around 2-3 years entered the park and attacked a blackbuck. According to the report, this is the first case of a wild animal barging into a protected safari park.

The seven other blackbucks are said to have been died due to 'shock' and 'panic' after the leopard killed one

Surrounded by forests, the safari park is a tourist attraction near the Statue of Unity.

Known as the Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, it surrounds the park and is believed to have been populated by leopards.

Quoting the Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF), Agneeshwar Vyas, NDTV reported that there have been movements of leopards recorded in the forests around the area, however, this is the first case where one has entered the safari park.

The park is monitored 24/7 with over 400 CCTV cameras installed all around.

Vyas further added that with the help of cameras, the leopard was spotted almost immediately but ran away after the security team was informed and alerted.

The forest officials after assessing the matter confirmed the deaths of eight blackbuck deer and also carried postmortem tests too.

After the incident the safari park was shut down for visitors for 48 hours and reopened on January 3.