Bijnor, May 5 (IANS): A 3-year-old leopard was found dead due to head injuries in East Ganga canal passing through Ajupura Rani village under Nagina forest range of Bijnor district.

Prima facie it appears that the leopard was hit by a vehicle. The carcass has been sent for post-mortem.

According to divisional forest officer (DFO) Anil Kumar Patel, this is the 12th leopard death in the last six months in Bijnor.

He explained that when temperature soars, these big cats move towards human habitat in search of water, leading to an increase in cases of man-animal conflict in the area.

"It is a huge concern for us that 12 leopards have died in the district since November last year. Three died in road accidents, one in a train accident, four were found dead in sugarcane fields. One leopard was killed by villagers and another was found dead lying in a deep well. However, our teams have rescued eight cubs in the last three months and reunited them with their mother," the DFO said.