Mumbai: SGNP mourns death of beloved leopard Raja

There has been a cloud of shock and gloom over the Sanjay Gandhi National Park SGNP since yesterday when one of the parkrsquos oldest and most beloved leopard Raja passed away The 20yearold leopard was a favourite with all the Chief Conservators of Forest CCFs who had worked at the park since he arrived there as a cub in 1992A cloud of gloom and shock loomed over the Sanjay Gandhi National Park SGNP yesterday when one of the parkrsquos oldest and most beloved leopard Raja passed away File picRaja died on Monday morning in an enclosure outside the park directorrsquos bungalow where he had spent the past 20 years along with his mate Rani also known as Krishna ldquoRaja a male leopard who was staying in the enclosure outside my official bungalow has died He had stopped eating from Saturday night itselfThe exact reason for his death will come forward after we get the autopsy report but primarily it appears that it must have happened because of old age Rajarsquos death is unfortunate because he had a great bond with all the CCFs and their family members who have stayed in the official bungalow since 1992rdquo said SGNP Director and Chief Conservator of Forest CCF Vikas GuptaSpotted as a cubIn 1992 Raja was found abandoned by his mother near a tribal hamlet next to the Film City Fearing the cub would die if left in the forest a tribal resident brought him to SGNP Raja was handreared with the utmost care and love by not only the forest officials or the CCFs but also by the caretakers and other forest staffIn 1995 Raja got a companion Rani a female leopard that was about a year old when she was released in Rajarsquos enclosure Both leopards had a close bond with each other However since Rajarsquos death Rani has been in shock quietly sitting in the enclosure since Sunday night said officialsFond memoriesRaja who was fond of chicken and beef also had a soft spot for biscuits a fact that charmed the forest department officials But perhaps his most endearing trait was his ability to bond with his caretakers and officials Anand Bharti who was the longest serving CCF at SGNP from 1993 to 2004 spoke of Raja as a loving leopardldquoMy wife and I first saw Raja in 1993 when I had just taken charge as the Deputy Conservator of Forest of SGNP He was just a year old then Over the years we spent at the CCF bungalow Raja became an integral part of our family and we raised him like our sonHe was so attached to us that in the mornings he would wait for us to come near his cage and touch his head gently before he would go and sleep in the enclosurerdquo Bharti visited Raja even after he had retired from the position and vacated the bungalowldquoUsually people say that animalsrsquo memory is not good and they donrsquot recognise you if you havenrsquot met in years but I would say this is wrong My wife and I went to SGNP a few years ago and when we reached Rajarsquos enclosure he had recognised us within secondsHe scrambled at the cage until I patted his back and then he just nudged my hand with his head The news of his demise has come as a shock to us especially because we watched both him and Rani grow from small cubs to adult leopardsrdquo he saidSunil Limaye also a former CCF said ldquoRaja was the most loving leopard that I have ever come across When I was the CCF I used to visit his enclosure every morning and evening He would wait for me each time such was our bond The news of his death is really unfortunaterdquo