Leopardess was found dead in Shikaripura taluk

Shivamogga: A leopardess was found dead at Tadasanahalli in Shikaripura taluk on Monday.The carcass of a sub-adult leopardess was found in an areca plantation.This incident followed reports of a leopard attacking humans in the same area just a day prior, marking the second mysterious feline death in the taluk in a month.While preliminary observations suggested the leopardess — which caused significant panic among local villagers — might have succumbed to starvation, the recurring nature of these fatalities has raised serious concerns regarding habitat health and prey availability.However, some experts expressed doubts regarding the starvation theory, noting that the animal appeared healthy and suggesting it might have been poisoned.DCF (Sagar division) Mohammed Fayajuddin told TOI that preliminary inspections showed no external wounds or injuries, and the claws remained intact. He confirmed that a postmortem was conducted and samples were collected, though officials currently suspect starvation as the cause.However, a wildlife activist told TOI that the leopardess looked healthy and urged the department to obtain a toxicology report.Villager Shivaraj Patil noted that the leopardess was found dead only a day after it attacked residents, adding that there was no history of leopard aggression in the area since a single incident four years ago. On Sunday, villagers from Adaganti and Tadasanahalli were injured in a leopard attack and subsequently admitted to McGann District Hospital in Shivamogga.These mysterious deaths require a detailed investigation, especially as a two-month-old leopard died in an agricultural pond in Dindadahalli village on Feb 24. Although that death was also attributed to starvation, critics argue the foresters failed to conduct a thorough inquiry or secure a toxicology report.