Second leopard gets killed on road in Andhra Pradesh within five days

Chittoor (Andhra Pradesh), Nov 15 (PTI) Within a space of five days, a second leopard, a six-year-old female, was found dead on the road in Andhra Pradesh.

The leopard was found dead on an Andhra Pradesh state highway near Tamil Nadu border, which cuts through a forest in Chittoor district, an official said on Wednesday.

Chittoor District Forest Officer (DFO) C Chaitanya Kumar Reddy said that the leopard died around 11 pm on Tuesday when a speeding vehicle hit it in the Tamil Nadu side and some unidentified persons allegedly threw the carcass into Andhra Pradesh across the border.

“We are yet to find the persons responsible and are enquiring about it. The incident happened on the other side of the state border. We found evidence such as traces of blood, pug marks and hair strands,” Reddy told PTI.

The carcass was found near Anjaneya Swamy temple on the road connecting Venkatagirikota and Pernampattu, bordering Tamil Nadu, said Reddy. The nearest village is Nayakaneri.

The DFO said that the leopard’s postmortem confirmed that a vehicle had hit it.

Forest officials disposed of the carcass following standard operating procedures of the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

This is the second leopard to have become roadkill in Andhra Pradesh within five days.

On November 10, a six-month-old leopard cub died at Hatakeswaram near Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh after an unidentified vehicle ran over it. PTI STH ANE