Two more leopards found dead

Mysuru: Two leopards were found dead in Kadabur in Nanjanagud taluk on Thursday. It is said that one of the carcasses was that of a female leopard aged about five years while the other was of one year old.

They were found 300 metres apart in the ginger fields of a farmer Ramanaika. Nanjanagud range forest officer (RFO) told The Hans India that prima facie the deaths were not of natural causes. The leopards may have died on Tuesday night, he said and added ACF Rangaswamy initiated an inquiry into the cause of the deaths. "The exact reason can be ascertained only after an autopsy.

It is suspected that they were poisoned to death," he said. On May 22 last three leopards were found dead in a field in Belavadi near here. At that time a plastic packet containing poison-laced food and the carcass of a half-eaten dog were found nearby. The dog's carcass had turned bluish giving credence to the theory that it was poisoned. Officials suspected that villagers resorted to such acts as leopards attacked cattle and dogs during night. Forest officials registered a case..