Coimbatore: A four-year-old female leopard was found dead in a contour canal at Boothagundu reserve forest near Aliyar in the Pollachi forest range, on Tuesday evening.Forest staff found the body around 4pm during a routine patrol. A forest department official said the leopard may have fallen into the canal or been washed to the location where it was found. “The staff found the body after searching the area on noticing a foul smell,” said an official. He added that there was no immediate suspicion of poisoning or poaching as the animal’s skin and claws were intact.On Wednesday, Meyyarasan, veterinary assistant surgeon, Anamalai Tiger Reserve, conducted a postmortem in the presence of ATR deputy director Devendra Kumar Meena and NGO members as per protocol. He estimated the death may have occurred about 10 days earlier and preliminarily suggested that the leopard had likely drowned. Sources said the carcass had no wounds either to indicate any infighting.Meanwhile, officials have collected organ samples for further analysis to confirm the cause of death. The leopard’s skin, claws, and nails were cremated in accordance with National Tiger Conservation Authority guidelines.
