Pugmarks of a tiger and a leopard were observed on the nearby trails, say reports (File)

A leopard was found dead in Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Maharashtra, a forest official said today. The carcass of the animal was spotted on Thursday evening.

"The staff of the PTR's South Fulzari beat came across the carcass of an adult leopard during patrolling in the dry Pench riverbed in compartment no 546 of East Pench range of PTR, Maharashtra at around 5 pm on Thursday," a release issued by the deputy director of the PTR said.

After being alerted, the range forest officers reached the spot.

"Prima facie, the animal apparently died as a result of territorial fight. Puncture wounds and laceration marks were visible on the neck and head portion. Body parts like teeth, vibrissae, claws, etc. were found to be to be intact and the carcass seemed to be 5-6 days old," the release said.

As per the standard operating procedures laid down by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a search operation was carried out in around 500 metres radius around the spot. "During the search, pugmarks of a tiger and a leopard were observed on the nearby trails," it said.

A search of other injured carnivore is in process and camera traps have been set up for the purpose, the release said. The PTR is spread over parts of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

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