The carcass of a male leopard was found in the Duppaduragutta hillocks of Settur mandal, located 70 km from here on Monday, local shepherds reported to forest officials.
Upon arriving at the scene, senior forest officials conducted an inquiry and postmortem of the leopard; District Forest Officer (DFO) Sandeep Gundala explained that the condition of the carcass suggested that it had died around ten days prior.
“While scavenging animals had eaten parts of the leopard’s remains, its claws, canines, pelt, and other parts were untainted, which indicates that the leopard was not killed by hunters or poachers. The area where the carcass was found is not a forest but rather a revenue-administered hillock. We are conducting veterinary examinations to determine the exact cause of death,” the DFO said.
