Bhopal, June 26 (IANS) The bodies of two panthers and various other animals, who are believed to have been poisoned by poachers, were found in Madhya Pradesh’s Katni district, officials said Friday.
“Two panthers and some other animals - all suspected to have been poisoned by poachers - were Thursday found dead close to a water hole in the Dheemarkheda range of the Kami forest division some 400 km from here,” said Katni divisional forest officer A.K. Baroniya.

“We received information about two panthers lying dead near a water hole close to village Makranda under the Dheemarkheda range, about 40 km from the Katni district headquarters.

“On reaching the spot, forest department staff found the bodies of two female panthers. One of the panthers was smaller in size prompting the forest staff to assume that the felines were mother and cub,” Baroniya added.

The officer said that the water hole near which the animals were found dead is the only source of water in the area and the poachers are suspected to have poisoned the water source leading to the death of all the animals.

Besides the panthers, forest staff also found bodies of a civet cat, a langur, a snake, an owl and a frog.

“The poachers however could not carry away the dead animals due to constant vigil by the forest staff,” he said.

Viscera of the dead animals and samples of the water have been sent for tests and cases have been registered against unknown persons under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1971.