A leopard fell to its death while climbing a 25-feet tree with its prey - a monkey - at the Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh's Seoni district, an official said today.
The carcasses of the adult female leopard and the langoor (monkey) were spotted in the Gandatola area of the Kurai range under the Pench Tiger Reserve on Monday morning, he said.
Pench Tiger Reserve's deputy director Rajnish Kumar Singh said that the ribs and backbone of the leopard, aged around 8-10 years, were found broken while other body parts were intact.
The marks of the leopard's teeth were found on the neck of the langoor (monkey), he said.
According to a team of veterinarians, the leopard possibly lost her balance and fell from the tree while climbing with its prey, the official said.
He said that the dog squad and officials inspected the area and no suspected activity was found around the spot.
Following an autopsy and other formalities, the carcass was disposed of as per the National Tiger Conservation Authority's (NTCA) guidelines, the official added.
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