Female leopard found dead in Pandalur forest range

UDHAGAMANDALAM: A six-year-old female leopard was found dead in the Pandalur range of forest in the Gudalur division in the Nilgiris on Monday.

Forest officials suspect the animal succumbed to injuries it suffered in a fight with another carnivore.

A team of forest field staff found the carcass in Glenrock forest area, during regular patrolling.

Venkatesh Prabhu, district forest officer (DFO), Gudalur division, said the postmortem was held as per the guidelines, in the presence of forest officials, and members of NGOs and local bodies. "Scratch and bite marks were found all over the animal's body. A preliminary report of the postmortem revealed that the leopard's skull was fractured, suggesting that it would have fought with a tiger or leopard, resulting in its death," the DFO added. Samples of its vital parts have been sent for lab tests.

The carcass was later burnt inside the forest area.