Hyderabad: A nearly eight-month-old leopard cub was found dead along the National Highway 765 on the Srisailam road inside the Amrabad Tiger Reserve (ATR) in Nagarkurnool district on Sunday night, with forest officials awaiting scientific examination to establish the cause of death.The carcass was found on the roadside near the Gundam checkpost in Mannanur range, a stretch used by safari vehicles entering the tiger reserve. Officials said no external injuries were noticed on the cub.A preliminary inquiry, however, indicated that the leopard might have been hit by an unidentified vehicle while crossing the road near the checkpost. Officials said the cause of death could be confirmed only after the post-mortem findings and scientific test results were available.Postmortem conducted, carcass cremated under NTCA normsForest personnel removed the carcass from the spot and a post-mortem examination was conducted under the supervision of Amrabad veterinary doctor V Raju. Samples were subjected to scientific tests to determine the cause of death.Following the postmortem, the carcass was cremated in the presence of officials in accordance with National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) guidelines and standard procedures prescribed by the forest department for disposal of wildlife carcasses.Officials said precautions were taken to ensure that the leopard’s skin, claws, teeth, organs and other body parts were not diverted for illegal use and that there was no scope for wildlife crime.Indian Forest Service officers Revanth Chandra, district forest officer, Nagarkurnool, and Yash Chandra Prakash Singhal, forest divisional officer, Amrabad, were present during the procedure.Motorists asked to slow down in wildlife stretchesForest officials said measures to protect wildlife along roads passing through forest areas were being taken continuously. They urged motorists travelling through such stretches to keep their speed under control and remain alert in wildlife movement zones.Officials said the Amrabad Tiger Reserve forest department follows scientific procedures, transparency and NTCA guidelines while dealing with wildlife carcasses.
