COIMBATORE: The decomposed carcass of a four year old female leopard was found in the Kakkanalla stream in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) on Thursday.

During a routine patrol in the core area of the reserve, the forest personnel from Theppakadu Range spotted the decomposed carcass of the carnivore.

Following prescribed guidelines, a veterinary team led by Rajesh Kumar from Mudumalai performed a post mortem in the presence of senior forest officials. Preliminary findings indicate that the female leopard may have died following a fight with another wild animal. Further investigation is under way.