ANGUL: Carcass of a leopard was recovered from Similpathar forest under Durgapur range of Angul on Wednesday.
On a tip off, forest officials recovered the decomposed carcass of a three-year-old leopard from the forest. Angul DFO, G Panda said the animal might have died seven days back. Samples from the carcass have been sent to laboratories in Bhubaneswar and Hyderabad for tests. The cause of the death can be ascertained only after receipt for the forensic reports from both the places. The DFO added that the animal might have died either due to eating poisoned dog meat or fighting with another animal. He ruled out chances of electrocution.
On Monday morning, forest officials had rescued a 10-year-old injured leopard from Nakchi PWD quest house in the district.
The leopard was spotted bleeding by the locals in a bush on the premises of the guest house. The leopard, which apparently sneaked from Nakchi forest, had sustained injury in his legs which made it immovable. It was shifted to Odisha College of Veterinary Science on Tuesday when the big cat was found to be in a paraplegic state.
Both the incidents have not gone down well with wildlife enthusiasts. They suspect that the incidents were a result of electrocution as there has been rampant laying of electric wires in Angul forests to prevent boars and elephants from entering human habitations.