Bhubaneswar: Three days after a male leopard died after being caught in a snare trap laid by poachers, a f
emale leopard was found dead under suspicious circumstances in Kusumadihi Reserve Forest in Odisha’s Sundargarh district on Friday morning.
According to forest officials, the animal was around 12 years old.
While senior officials, including the RCCF and the DFO, have begun an investigation into the incident, it is being suspected that the leopard might have died due to poisoning, possibly as part of retaliatory action by locals.
A person has been detained for questioning as part of the probe to ascertain the cause of the death.
Sources said that a bull had died in the forest a few days ago in an alleged attack by a leopard. Following which, someone deliberately laced the carcass of the bull with poison to kill the animal in an act of revenge.
The carcasses of the bull and the leopard have been seized for further examination.