A leopard’s carcass was found in the Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) in Bihar’s West Champaran on Sunday evening, officials said on Monday and added this is the third such death there since December last year.
“Prima facie, the death appears to have been caused due to the fight with a tiger as is evident from the multiple injuries on the body parts. However, the exact cause of the death could be known only after a post-mortem,” said Neshamani K, the wildlife conservator, and VTR field director.
He added that the male leopard was about four-year-old. “The leopard’s viscera will be sent to Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly and Wildlife Institute of India (WWI), Dehradun,” said Neshamani K. He ruled the possibility of poaching as the cause of the death.
Leopard carcasses were earlier found in VTR, which has 98 leopards, on May 13 and December 31 last year.