Raipur: A leopard was found dead in a forested area of Chhattisgarh’s Mungeli district. Forest officials suspect the death resulted from a territorial fight between two big cats.
The carcass was discovered on Wednesday evening in the Kanchanpur beat of the Lormi forest range, approximately 200 meters from the Kanchanpur barrier in a reserve forest compartment.
According to forest officials, the barrier watchman noticed the dead leopard and alerted authorities. A team promptly arrived at the scene, secured the area, and guarded the carcass overnight.
Villagers informed officials that they heard growls and sounds of a violent struggle between two leopards in the forest shortly before the carcass was found. Preliminary assessments point to a turf fight, officials said, adding that the exact cause can only be determined after the post-mortem.
Officials believe the other leopard may also have been injured in the suspected fight before retreating deeper into the forest. Search teams were combing the area for the other leopard but had not yet traced it as of the last reports.
“The villagers reported hearing sounds from a fierce fight between two leopards. However, the cause of death could only be determined once the post-mortem report is out,” deputy ranger Dashansh Suryavanshi told TOI.
The carcass will be sent to Kanan Pendari for post-mortem by a team of wildlife experts, officials said, adding that it will conclusively determine whether the feline died in a clash or due to some other cause.
