Daijiworld Media Network - Beltangady
Beltangady, Apr 13: The skeletal remains of a leopard were discovered in the Ittila-Pele forest area near Savanalu village, falling under the Beltangady wildlife range of the Kudremukh National Park.
A viral social media image shows the leopard's dismembered limbs, raising concerns about the cause of death. Officials await the postmortem report for confirmation.
Beltangady range forest officer (RFO) Sharmishtha alerted Karkala wildlife authorities, who conducted an inspection. Leopards are frequently sighted in Savanalu; last September, one was trapped in a department cage near Gurikande before being released. Subsequent sightings confirmed multiple leopards in the area.
The bones have been sent for forensic analysis. "We're investigating the viral photo's origin and timing," said Kudremukh National Park DFO Shivaram Babu.