A two-year-old leopard, that strayed into a village here, died while being shifted to a forest, an official said on Saturday.
Prima facie it appears that it died due to scorching heat and hunger, he said, adding that the autopsy report will ascertain the exact cause of its death. Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Manish Singh told reporters that villagers in Nabinagar happened to see the leopard lay unconscious and they informed the forest department.
A team administered treatment to the leopard and it was being taken to the Nanpara forest range, but it died on the way, Singh said. "There are no signs of injury on its body. It seems that the leopard was hungry and thirsty for a long time," he added.
According to the DFO, a panel of three veterinarians will conduct the autopsy, post which, he said his team will proceed with the investigation.