Angul: The carcasses of two leopards were found in a forest of Satkosia sanctuary in Odisha’s Angul district on Thursday.
According to sources, the villagers of Kulangi village under Pampas forest range of the sanctuary spotted the two leopards’ bodies in a nearby forest and informed the Forest department.
A team of Forest officials led by RCCF M Yog Jayanand and DFO Saroj Kumar Panda went to the spot and launched an investigation. They identified the carcasses as those of an adult leopard and a cub, whose age was estimated to be one year. It was difficult to examine the age and sex of the big cats as both the carcasses were decomposed.
The preliminary investigation revealed that they might have died around 10 days back. Though the exact cause of death is yet to be ascertained, forest officials of Satkosia suspect it to be a case of poisoning or snake bite.
However, they have sent the viscera of the two leopards to Odisha Universitry of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) for testing. The cause of the wild animals’ death would be known after getting the report, the RCCF said adding that further investigation is on.
The DFO ruled out the poaching since teeth and nails of both the carcasses were intact and there was no sign of the leopards getting trapped in snare. The possibility of electrocution is also less as the cables in the area have been insulated, he told the media.
Since carcasses were found close to human settlement, forest officials will investigate to ascertain if the leopards were poisoned, he added.
