Vol 12 No 1, p 47-50 Ruminant Science June 2023/47 POST-MORTEM CHANGES IN GOATS DIED DUE TO LEOPARD ATTACK Ganesh K Sawale 1 , Prerna Ghorpade 2 , NR Karambele, BS Katkade 3 , PV Meshram 1 , SA Gaikwad 4 and HY Palampalle 3 Mumbai Veterinary College, MAFSU, Mumbai-400 065, Maharashtra, INDIA 1 Department of Veterinary Pathology, 2 Department of Livestock Production and Management, 3 Livestock Farm Complex (LFC), 4 Department of Anatomy *ganeshsawale@mafsu.in Received: 29 April 2023 Accepted: 01 June 2023 Leopard (Panthera pardus), also called Panther is a large cat closely related to Lion, Tiger and Jaguar. Leopard is a very good climber and stays in the forest preferably on the tree during day time and is a nocturnal animal. Leopards prefer prey little smaller than their size or the maximum of their size. Hence, dogs, sheep, goat, deer, wild pigs and accidentally children are their prey (Britannica, 2022). The leopard is the most adaptive of large cats and can thrive in a diverse range of habitats, from deep protected forests to the boundaries of towns and villages. This adaptability created an overlap of shared space with humans (Athreya et al, 2013). The college farm where the incidence occurred is located in Aarey colony of Goregaon Mumbai. Arrey colony is a forest area with isolated pockets of human habitation, spread over 16-sq km and has a resident population of six to seven leopards including cubs, as well as a transient population moving from Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) and shares its boundary with SGNP, spread over 104 square meter, which is home to at least 47 leopards (Deccan, 2022; Chatterjee, 2020). The documentation of lesions due to attack by dogs (Langley, 2005; Lin and Patil, 2015; Abuabara, 2006), bear (Thakur et al, 2007; Camaros et al, 2016) and bigs cats like a leopard (Hejna, 2010; Padmanidhi et al , 2021), tiger (Pathak et al , 2013) and lion (Skuja, 2002; Datko et al , 2015) on human beings has been documented in the literature. The wild carnivorous animal uses deer, pigs and dogs as their prey and eats the carcass after hunting these animals. Hence, documentation of lesions in domestic animals like goats due to leopard attacks is scanty. Moreover, the gathered information will be helpful for veterinarians and forensic medicine experts doing necropsy or investigations of the death of animals due to leopard attacks. The present research paper focuses on the bite mark injuries and associated postmortem lesions in goats who died due to leopard attacks. History and observations Eight female goats and one male Osmanabadi goat of 6-7 months of age were reared in Instruction Livestock farm Complex and maintained on the semi-intensive system of grazing (stall feeding with 3-4 hour daily grazing). The goats were housed on raised platform system of housing with wooden planks during night hours. Trees were also planted around the shed to provide a cooler environment to protect the goat from heat. On day 24/ ABSTRACT Total of seven female and one male Osmanabadi goat of 6-7 months of age was found dead due to an attack by the leopard. Necropsy examination of the carcass revealed two to four paired puncture injuries at the neck. The nature of the injuries showed sharp, pointed and deep lesions caused by upper and lower canine teeth. Three of the goat had deep multiple penetrating injuries (2 to 4 holes) at the larynx or upper part of the trachea. Lacerated injury at the neck and face region of the goat was also a common finding. The soft tissue under the skin at the neck region was badly torn and haemorrhagic. Rupture of the jugular vein was seen in three goats. The trachea showed severe congestion at neck region due to external pressure and contained frothy exudates throughout the lumen. All the lobes of the lung collapsed except the lower half of the diaphragmatic lobe which showed severe emphysema. The chambers of the heart were empty in nearly all goats. In one goat, half of the skin of the lower abdomen as well as both the muscle of the hind leg (medial side) were severely damaged and there were also scratch marks on hind leg bones. The frothy exudate in the tracheal lumen and collapse of the lung indicated death due to asphyxia as a result of compression of the trachea by the leopard jaw at the neck region simulating the manner of death due to strangulation in human beings. Keywords: Goat, leopard attack, Osmanabadi, necropsy.