Berhampur (Odisha), Aug 9 (PTI) A three-year-old female leopard died allegedly after being hit by a speeding vehicle in Odisha's Ganjam district on Tuesday night, forest officials said.

We suspect that a speeding vehicle might have hit the leopard, injuring it seriously in the head while the animal was crossing the road. It succumbed to its injuries during the treatment, said Sudarshan Behera, divisional forest officer (DFO), Ghumusar North, on Wednesday.

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He said forest personnel who were on the night patrolling on Phulbani-Bhanjanagar road near Muzagarh under Ghumusar North forest division in Ganjam district, about 100-km from here, saw the injured animal lying on the road and shifted it to a veterinary hospital immediately. During treatment, the animal died, he said.

"We have started a probe after a case was registered under the Wildlife Protection Act,” he added.

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The leopard's carcass has been disposed of following the special operating procedure (SOP) of the central government.

(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)