Nilagiri, May 13: A leopard was found dead in a snare trap inside the Swarnachuda Reserved Forest under Nilgiri in Odisha’s Balasore district, triggering concern among forest officials and environmentalists. The big cat is suspected to have died after getting trapped in a snare laid for wild boars, following which a Joint Task Force (JTF) team launched an investigation.

The incident came to light on Tuesday near Kathagochhi in the forest area bordering the Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary. The reserved forest is known to house deer, wild boars, bears and several other wild animals. Officials suspect poachers had laid the trap targeting wild boars.

The discovery of the leopard has created panic among local residents, as sightings of big cats are rare in the region. However, environmentalists termed the presence of a leopard in the Swarnachuda hills as a positive sign for the forest ecosystem, while expressing outrage over its death.

Taking the incident seriously, Nilgiri Ranger Manbar Khan and DFO Prafulla Kumar Mallik visited the spot and reviewed the situation. Later, an STF team reached the area and conducted a probe. The leopard’s postmortem has also been completed.

Officials said strict action will be taken after completion of the investigation.