These images show a leopard found hanging from an overhead power cable with its face completely charred after it was electrocuted by the high voltage line.
The startling images were taken in the village of Mandawar located in the state of Haryana in northern India after locals spotted the leopard (Panthera pardus) hanging from the cable.
Local media report the villagers spotted the animal and called the local forest department who sent officials to the scene.
Shyam Sunder, an officer in the department, told reporters that the animal’s death had ”clearly” been electrocuted, saying that the big cat is likely to have touched the cables as it was chasing prey, and he added that the leopard had probably been chasing a monkey.
Sunder said the leopard’s face had been completely burnt in the incident but said there was no suspicion of foul play.
The animal is believed to have been around two years old and its body was taken down from the cables and transferred for a post-mortem examination.
The leopard is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) because populations are threatened by loss of habitat and fragmentation.
Local media report the animals are known to enter villages in the area looking for water and food, with several cases of the big cats dying from electrocution having been reported in recent years.
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Story By: Alex Cope, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: AsiaWire Report
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