Dhamtari, Apr 12 (PTI) A leopardess was found dead in a forest in Chhattisgarh's Dhamtari district on Tuesday, a forest official said.

The carcass of a leopardess, aged around five years, was spotted by some villagers in the forest near Barari village in the morning, following which the forest department was informed, Dhamtari's divisional forest officer (DFO) Mayank Pandey said.

“The leopard seems to have died two to three days ago. Grievous injury marks found on the body suggest that it might have been killed in a fight with another animal. However, the animal's viscera samples have been sent for examination to ascertain the exact cause of the death," the official said.

Further investigation into the matter is underway, he added. PTI COR ARU ARU