COIMBATORE: The carcass of a four-year-old leopardess was found hanging from a tree with steel cables stuck to its back, in Anikorai village in Nilgiris north forest division on Saturday evening, giving rise to concerns over poaching of wild animals and the man-animal conflict.

It is believed the big cat had got trapped in a snare and might have struggled to free itself of it.

The wires were stuck to its spine, and the animal was hanging upside down. Also, it is suspected the leopardess had died a painful death because its bones were crushed by the strong cables.

Sources in the Forest Department said the animal had struggled before it died a day ago, when its carcass was spotted.

Its back bones were broken and the claws and tail end clipped. The postmortem was conducted on Saturday and parts have been sent to lab for a forensic test, a forest official said.

The incident has sparked off concerns as several animals were killed in the Nilgiris forest division over the recent past and the man-animal conflict has intensified. Encroachment of forest area and poaching of animals have increased.

This year, Nilgiris alone recorded the highest number of deaths of big cats, including tigers. In Gudalur, a leopard was found dead and it was suspected that the animal might have got caught in a trap or was fatally attacked by humans. This is second leopard which has been killed in a trap.

Environmentalists have demanded an inquiry into the leopardess’ death and have raised voice to remove the encroachments in the forest area as such a drive could bring down the number of cases of poaching in the region.