The body of a leopard was discovered by forest department personnel in the Kankhal area on the weekend. The residents of this area had been living in anxiety for some days now after the sighting of a leopard in the area. It is believed that the big cat had strayed from the Rajaji tiger reserve area to near the human habitation.
During patrolling, the forest department team found the body of a leopardess on the weekend. The exact cause of the big cat’s death is not known. A team of veterinarians from the forest department conducted a post mortem examination of the body. It is being suspected that the leopardess died of natural causes. It should be mentioned here that earlier, a leopard was captured by the forest department team and released in the jungle. This time it is the corpse of the leopard which was traced by the forest department team.
Speaking to The Pioneer, range officer of Haridwar forest range, Dinesh Nauriyal said, “The leopard found is about two and a half year old female which was spotted during patrolling in the forest area at the back side of Nakshatra Vatika residential colony. Since there is no mark of injury on the leopard’s body, it seems to be a natural death. We have sent the viscera and body parts for examination to Bareilly and Rampur laboratories. The report is awaited after which the exact cause for the death of the leopard can be confirmed," he added.