An adult female leopard was found dead in a drain near the mini stadium in Bhimtal town of Uttarakhand’s Nainital district on Saturday.
The carcass was sent to the rescue centre in Ranibag for postmortem, forest officials said.
Nainital’s sub-divisional officer of the forest department, Mamta Chand, said, “On Saturday morning, locals informed us that a leopard carcass was lying in a drain near the mini stadium in Bhimtal town under the Bhowali range of the Nainital forest division.
“After receiving the information, a forest team rushed to the spot, took possession of the carcass and sent it to the Ranibag rescue centre for postmortem,” Chand added.
Forest officials said there were no external injury marks on its body and all body parts, including teeth and nails, were intact.
“Prima facie, it appears that the leopard may have died in a mutual conflict with another big cat. However, the exact cause of death will be known after the postmortem report is received. After the postmortem, the carcass will be cremated according to the guidelines of the National Tiger Conservation Authority,” officials said.