Udhagamandalam: The carcass of a five-year-old male leopard, shot dead by poachers, was found in a private tea estate in Gudalur forest range in the Nilgiris on Tuesday.
Forest department’s field staff had found the carcass in Parry Agro Tea field in Athimanagar area during routine patrolling.
The animal had suffered severe injuries, district forest officer Sumesh Soman said. “We found healing bite marks on the head, near the chest and stomach of the leopard. We also noticed a wound on the left hind thigh of the animal. Initially, we thought that the big cat might have died due to infighting. However, we were suspicious about the wound on the thigh. During postmortem, a bullet was found inside the wound on the hind leg. It would have died Tuesday morning due to the gunshot,” he said. “The canine teeth and nails of the animal were intact.”
The department did not dispose of the carcass on Tuesday as an inquiry was initiated. A case under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 was registered.
“We conducted a thorough inquiry. The carcass was burnt today in a forest area nearby as per the protocol of the national tiger conservation authority,” the DFO said.