A female leopard and two cubs were found dead here at a private farm near Belavadi Lake on Saturday, informed the Karnataka Forest Department.
The forest officials of the Mysuru Regional Forest Division and Sub-Zonal Forest Officers of Ilavala Branch were informed about this incident by the locals of the area.
A female leopard of 4 to 5 years of age, along with two leopard cubs of 8-10 months of age -- one male and one female were found dead on inspection by KC Prashanth Kumar, DCF Mysuru.
The incident was then orally narrated to the Chief Wildlife Officer and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) officials. After which further action according to the NTCA's Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) had been taken.
A half-eaten carcass of a stray dog was also found near the dead leopards. Prima facie, it was observed that insecticide has been sprayed on the carcass, the forest department said.
Authorities have sent the samples to IAHVB Bengaluru and Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Mysuru to understand the exact cause of the death of these leopards.
In addition, the authorities reported that the water samples of Belavadi Lake near the corpse of the leopards have also been taken by the Mysuru Pollution Control Board for inspection.
A preliminary investigation was conducted with the help of the dog squad of Mysuru Police and Forest Department.
Chief Conservator of Forest Hiralal, Mysuru Circle, and senior officials also visited the spot for an inspection.
( With inputs from ANI )
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