Nature's Fury Takes its Toll: Leopard's Body Recovered from Floodwaters, Video Emotionally Charged

Dehradun (The Uttam Hindu): Monsoon rains are wreaking havoc across North India, due to which life has been disrupted from plains to mountains. In states like Punjab, where floods have taken a terrible form, horrific pictures of landslides, cloudbursts and floods are coming out in hilly states. The most horrific face of this disaster is being seen in Uttarakhand, where 273 percent more rain than normal has been recorded in the last 24 hours.

This natural disaster is not only affecting humans but also mute wild animals. Heartbreaking pictures are coming from Uttarakhand, which is home to tigers, leopards and elephants.

Video of leopard drowning in flood goes viral

A painful video is going viral on social media, which has been shared by Dr. PM Dhakate, Special Secretary, Minority Welfare Department, Government of Uttarakhand. In the video, the body of a leopard is seen floating in the strong current of the flood. He wrote with the video, "Heartbreaking loss. A leopard drowned in the flood caused by heavy rains in Uttarakhand. The power of nature is supreme... Be alert for the safety of wildlife too."

The incident highlights the impact of the disaster on wildlife in the state. According to the 2022 report, Uttarakhand had more than 652 leopards, although the number was lower than the 2018 figure of 839.

Elephant swept away in river, narrowly escapes death

Just last week, another disturbing video surfaced from near Jim Corbett Park in Ramnagar, in which an elephant was seen swept away in the strong current of Kosi river. However, luckily the elephant did not lose courage and after a lot of struggle, it was able to balance itself and come out of the river safely.

Life in the state disrupted, roads closed

Due to heavy rains and landslides, more than 486 roads in Uttarakhand have been closed, due to which many areas have lost connectivity. The Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert in 7 districts of the state and a yellow alert in 3 districts for Wednesday. According to the IMD forecast, heavy rains are likely to continue in many other states including Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in the coming days.