Vijayawada, Dec 19 (IANS): A leopard was found dead in a village in Andhra Pradesh’s Krishna district after being caught in a trap set up forwild pigs to protect crops.

The incident occurred in Metlapalli village of Gannavaram mandal in Krishna district, near Vijayawada.

A farmer had first spotted the leopard’s movements over a month ago. However, his fellow farmers dismissed it as a misunderstanding.

The leopard was caught in a trap set up for wild pigs to protect crops. The animal succumbed to its injuries.

After getting the information, police and forest officials reached the village and began an investigation. They suspect the leopard was caught in the trap late on Wednesday night. The farmers found the dead leopard on Thursday morning.

Following the incident, villagers demanded the authorities to take all necessary steps to protect them from wild animals.

In the continuing human-animal conflict, leopard sightings are being reported from various parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Last week, a leopard attacked a herd of sheep and killed one near the forest area in Annamayya district. The incident triggered panic among people in Avulapalle village and surrounding hamlets of Madanapalle mandal.

The sheep rearers told the forest officials that nearly six sheep had gone missing from these villages over the last few days.

In October, a 9-year-old male leopard was found dead under suspicious circumstances in the Amrabad Tiger Reserve (ATR) in the Nallamala forest, Amaragiri, Kolhapur range of Nagarkurnool district.

In September, a leopard was seen on the prowl in the Diwancheruvu West Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Rajamahendravaram. The lone leopard was first sighted in the CCTV camera, near the All India Radio (AIR) station. It was seen moving through the residential areas and fields of various commercial crops that adjoin the reserve forest.