The carcass of a male adult leopard was found at the plantation of a tea estate in Jalpaiguri Sadar block on Sunday.

Foresters, on being informed by plantation employees, recovered the carcass.

Post-mortem revealed the animal had a piece of wood in its abdomen.

“We suspect it might have swallowed the wood with its food. This led to infection and death,” said Hari Krishnan, an official of Baikunthapur forest department.

According to sources, some workers of Bhandiguri tea estate on the outskirts of Jalpaiguri town spotted the carcass lying under a tree.

“We were spraying pesticides at the plantation when we spotted the leopard. At first we were worried that it was a live animal but we soon realised it was dead. We informed garden officials, who in turn told the forest department,” said worker Shahjahan Ali.

Another worker added there were no injury marks on its body. A team from the Belakoba forest range of Baikunthapur forest division took away the carcass.

Fatal accident

A youth died and some other persons were injured when a pick-up van loaded with vegetables turned on its side in Koranipara on the outskirts of Jalpaiguri town on Sunday.

Officials of Kotwali police station said some vegetable-sellers were going to Siliguri from Mondalghat in the pick-up van.

On the way, one of its tyres exploded and the driver lost control of the vehicle near Koranipara.

Residents rushed the occupants of the van to the super-specialty hospital in Jalpaiguri where doctors pronounced Sanjay Karati, 25, of Nandanpur, near Jalpaiguri town, dead.