Leopard electrocuted as it hunted prey in tree near power wires in India (PHOTO)

A leopard was killed after being electrocuted by an overhead electricity wire while it was hunting in a tree near Gurugram, northern India. The big cat was found hanging from the wires by shocked villagers.

Forest department officials were called to the scene at 8:30am local time on Thursday, after receiving reports of a leopard suspended from high-tension wires in Mandawar village in Sohna.

“It is a clear case of electrocution. There is no foul play,” Divisional Forest Officer Shyam Sunder said, the Hindu reports. “It seems the feline came in contact with the wires while chasing prey, most probably a monkey.”

The leopard’s face was badly burnt and it appeared to be about two-years-old. It was removed from the wires and its body was sent for a post-mortem.

Leopards living in the nearby Aravalli mountains often wander into villages looking for food and water.

This isn’t the first time a leopard has been electrocuted. One of the big cats died after it climbed an electricity pole in Telangana, Hyderabad, in 2017 and became entangled in the wires.

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