Endangered deer killed by leopard in JK

A wild leopard managed to break into the fenced enclosure of the `hangul` at the breeding centre at Shikargah in Tral area on Friday morning and ripped apart the protected animal, they said.

The animal died after the attack and leopard fled from the enclosure.

The officials said the watch and ward staff posted for protection of the endangered species of deer were not present at the time of the attack.

The leopard struck at the breeding centre just hours after state Minister for Forests and Environment Mian Altaf Ahmad had inaugurated the facility on Thursday.

The breeding centre has been set up to boost the population of `hangul` which has sharply declined during the past century as its numbers dwindled from 4,000 in 1910 to just 225, according to a recent survey.