A female leopard aged around 4 years was run over by an unidentified vehicle on National Highway 44 at Roopla Nayak tanda [tribal hamlet] in Indalwai mandal, killing the animal on the spot early on Friday.
Forest officials who rushed to the spot said that the leopard must have been hit while it was crossing the road in the forest area between 5.30 am and 6 am.
The carcass was brought to the veterinary hospital at Indalwai for post-mortem, said VSNV Prasad, District Forest Officer.
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After the post-mortem, the carcass would be cremated instead of burying it to prevent poachers from skinning it or removing its nails or other parts, said the DFO. This is the second such leopard death reported from the same mandal in the past four months.
In January, a leopard lost its legs when a train hit it in the Sirnapally forest area. The animal died after it was shifted to Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad for treatment.