A three-year-old male leopard was found dead after it was caught in a snare in the fields close to the forests at Madamaneri village of Tavanampalle mandal, 25 km from here, on Monday morning.
According to forest officials (Chittoor West), some villagers on their way to the fields had spotted the carcass of a leopard in the snare and informed the former.
The officials found that the animal was caught in the snare erected by local hunters for wild boars and that the incident happened sometime after 11 p.m. on Sunday. An official said the accused had used the brake-wires of a two-wheeler to prepare the snare.
A case was registered and further investigation was on. A team of veterinarians from SV Veterinary University conducted the postmortem on the leopard. “We have formed a special party to track down the accused,” an official said.