An eight-month-old male leopard that was caught from a human settlement near the Angamoozhy forest in Pathanamthitta district died here on Thursday.
The seriously injured animal, which was trapped from a goat shelter on the premises of a house, was shifted to the Konni elephant camp following a surgery at a veterinary hospital in Kollam. The animal, however, was found dead in the morning.
An autopsy was conducted at Konni and the carcass was shifted for cremation within the Kummannur forest station limits. The post-mortem examination attributed the animal’s death to injuries to its lungs.
Forest officials had found porcupine quill stab marks on the animal, suggesting a territorial fight between the leopard and a wild porcupine. Laid low by the injuries, the leopard was believed to have forayed into the village for food.
