A wild female leopard died by drowning on a tea estate near Bagdogra after it fell into an open water reservoir on Saturday night.

Foresters have sent the carcass for a post-mortem.

Sources said that for the past few days, the leopard, which had strayed into the Hanskhowa tea estate from a forest, had been roaming around the area. On Saturday night, it fell into the reservoir.

“When we spotted the animal, it was thrashing its limbs, trying to get out of the reservoir full of water. We informed forest officials immediately about it,” said a resident.

A team from Bagdogra forest range under Kurseong forest division headed for the spot. However, by the time the team reached, the animal had died by drowning.

The foresters said the animal was around three years old. “Initial observation suggests the leopard accidentally slipped into the reservoir,” said a forest official.

“It failed to survive because of the excess water in the reservoir. The carcass has been sent for post-mortem at the North Bengal Wild Animal Park to confirm the cause of its death,” said a forester.