A spotted deer was found dead on the roadside of Kadambur village near Oomerabad police station in Tirupattur district on Friday.
The deer was found in unconscious state by the villagers. The animal had sustained deep wounds on its hind leg.
The forest department officials, on information, reached the spot and retrieved the carcass and sent it for autopsy to a veterinary hospital at M.V. Kuppam.
Leopard fear
After performing the post mortem, the body was cremated at Pallalakuppam Reserve Forest, sources also said.
Locals feared that the deer was attacked by a leopard, but a forest official said that it was attacked by a dog when it came down from the nearby Kailasagiri Hills.