Meera Bhardwaj:
In a shocking incident, a heavily pregnant leopard with four cubs was killed at NICE Road in Bengaluru on Sunday. The female leopard which was carrying four cubs – two female and two male – was due for delivery in a weeks’ time.
A healthy three-year-old female leopard with four cubs (due for delivery) has been killed due to NICE Road management who have utterly failed to take any action till date. The Kaggalipura Range has more than 45 leopards and swift action is needed by NICE management to stop leopard road kills once for all.
It is time for action against the NICE Road management who collect heavy toll from customers and allow speeding on wildlife stretches without a care or concern. In fact, activists say that lorries and cars can be seen speeding at high speeds even in the wildlife stretches both during the morning and night hours.
Despite the forest officials requesting for a “wildlife underpass” on a 15-16 kilometre stretch between Kanakapura Road toll and Bannerghatta toll, they are yet to take any action with no speed regulation enforced as vehicles speed at 120-150 kms per hour, says Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF), Bengaluru South Sub-division, V Ganesh.
Till date, 5-6 leopards kills have happened on NICE Road with the NICE Road management least bothered about the death of a Schedule-1 species – which receives the highest protection under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. But alas! There is no compensation for a mute leopard compared to the death of a human (on this road) who are paid heavy compensation amounts.
D S Kiran Kumar, founder-President, Green Army Force said, “This road kill happened at the NICE Road-Anjanapura Lake Junction which passes through the Kanakapura exit from Bannerghatta National Park. I received this information from the police control room and immediately rushed to the spot around 1.30 am on March 15 (Sunday) and informed the Kaggalipura range forest officer.”
He added, “Later, we assisted them in transporting the dead leopard to the range office. We are pretty upset as road kills are increasing at this stretch and despite boards being installed on warning people about this stretch being a wildlife corridor, neither the speeding drivers are bothered nor the NICE Road management.”
Speaking to Green Minute News, the ACF said, “It is a hit and run incident with the NICE Road management least bothered about continuing leopard road kills in the stretch between Kanakapura and Bannerghatta toll. This 15-16 km stretch is a big problem as it is a wildlife corridor and animals usually come out of forests during the summer season. It is the responsibility of the NICE Road management to build a wildlife underpass and they should show responsibility towards wildlife corridors. Is there job limited only to toll collection?”
No future deaths or road kills of wildlife should occur, stresses ACF Ganesh. It is the duty and responsibility of NICE Road management to take action:
- Wildlife underpass is a must
- This stretch should have speed regulation
- Lighting is very bad, should be enhanced
- Need for joint scientific study along with KFD and NICE Road authorities
- Highway Patrol have no knowledge about wildlife, should be trained about wildlife corridors and crossings
On their part, activists in Bengaluru caution and warn NICE Road authorities to take action immediately and build wildlife underpass between the Kanakapura-Bannerghatta toll stretch, regulate speed and also train the insensitive highway patrol about wildlife and its protection.
LEOPARD DEATHS IN KARNATAKA
During December 25, 2025-March 15, 2026 that is less than three months, seven leopards and seven yet to be born cubs have been killed due to road kills, poisoning and snares in Karnataka. If seven have been killed, four leopards have been captured during this period due to human-leopard conflicts.
DATA OF LEOPARD DEATHS
Dec 27, 2025: the body of a dead female leopard with three unborn cubs was found in Kaggalipura Range, Bengaluru Urban division. The death was caused due to impact from mining blast.
Jan 10, 2026: A one-year-old male leopard was found dead in a road kill at Kesarmadu, Tumakuru district.
Jan 10, 2026: Carcass of a 5-year-old leopard found in Yediyur village, Hosanagara taluk, Shivamogga district.
Jan 15, 2026: A 6-year-old male leopard found dead due to poisoning in Yelandur Range, BRT tiger reserve.
Jan 19, 2026: Another leopard found dead in a road kill in Kanakapura Bypass, Bengaluru Urban district.
Jan 21, 2026: Five-year-old female leopard dead in a road kill on NH-50 in Ballari district.
March 15, 2026: Three-year-old female leopard with four cubs (due for delivery) killed on NICE Road, Bengaluru.
In an appeal by activists, they say that it is high time the state government and the Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre took action against the NICE management to stop any further road kills of leopards in Bengaluru.
(PHOTO CREDIT: ALL IMAGES OF LEOPARD ROAD KILL AT NICE ROAD BY KIRAN KUMAR, GREEN ARMY FORCE & REST FROM KFD.)