Projectile found in male leopard’s carcass in Nilgiris

Coimbatore

A post mortem by a team of experts led by Rajesh Kumar, Assistant Veterinary Surgeon of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) on Wednesday found an improvised projectile lodged in the left hind limb of the animal resulting in its death. The animal was suspected to be shot just a few days before its death.

The young leopard, found dead at a tea estate in Athimanagar area in Pandalur also had bite marks all over its body suggesting that it was involved in a fight with another carnivore.

However, the Forest Department officials ruled out any chances of poaching as nails and teeth remained intact on the animal.

“The animal was initially suspected to have died in an internal fight. Rather, it was during an autopsy that a ‘plastic bullet’ was retrieved from the hind limb of the animal revealing the real cause,” said a senior official of the Forest Department.

Three teams have been formed to probe into the death of the animal and inquiries are on with people residing in nearby estates. Strikingly, a tusker, which was found dead a few kilometers away from this spot last month, also had a projectile lodged in its body.

Though both the leopard and elephant have died in a similar manner with a foreign object in their body, a detailed probe is underway to know if the two incidents were executed by the same party.