KOCHI: A leopard caught in a snare trap set by poachers met with a painful death at Kanimangalam, a hamlet on the fringes of Kalady forest range, in Ernakulam district, on Wednesday night.
According to Malayattoor DFO A Renjan, the leopard, believed to be around eight years old, had entered the village in search of food. The poachers had set a snare with break cables used in two-wheelers
and plastic net, to stop wild animals from entering the agricultural land.
The trap was found on the property belonging to Naduvattom John near, a teak plantation under Karakkad forest section in Kalady range. The animal got caught in the trap and as it tried to escape, the noose got tightened.
On Thursday, the villagers saw the leopard struggling to escape from the trap in the morning and informed the Forest Department. However, it died before Forest Department officers arrived for the rescue operation.
The body of the leopard was shifted to Kodanad Forest Office where postmortem examination was conducted. A case has been registered against the owner of the property and an investigation has been launched to find the people who set the snare trap, the DFO said.