A three-year-old female leopard allegedly died after getting trapped in barbed wire in the Bankatwa range of the Sohailwa forest area here on Sunday, an official said.
Divisional Forest Officer Gaurav Garg said information was received that the big cat's neck got stuck in barbed wire fencing in a mango orchard located south of Chaudharidih village in the Bankatwa range.
A forest department team rushed to the spot and found the carcass of the leopard entangled in the barbed wire.
Garg said a team, supervised by the sub-divisional officer, has begun an investigation to determine how the leopard became trapped and to assess any possible involvement of external factors.
The carcass was being brought to the Bankatwa range for a post-mortem examination, Garg said, adding that further action would be taken after the investigation and post-mortem reports.