Bettiah (Bihar), Sep 17 (PTI) A carcass of a leopard was found in the Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) in West Champaran district of Bihar, officials said on Tuesday.

The four-year-old animal was found dead by the forest officials during patrolling on Monday evening, they said.

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Speaking to PTI, the Field Director of VTR, Nesamani K, said, "The exact cause of death is unknown and will be known after the post-mortem examination report arrives..

A post-mortem examination was conducted after which the dead leopard was cremated, as per guidelines, on Tuesday. The viscera is being sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly, and other places for forensic testing, he said.

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"Preliminary evidence rules out the possibility of any foul play... but we will be able to find out the exact cause of death only after reports of the scientific examination,” he added.

There are around 100 leopards in the VTR, the only national park in Bihar. As per the report 'Status of Tigers: Co-predators & Prey in India-2022', released by the NTCA and Wildlife Institute of India on July 29, 2023, the VTR recorded a 75 per cent increase in tiger numbers — from 31 in 2018 to 54 in 2022.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)