A 57-year-old man who was in charge of maintaining an agricultural field near Ithalar in the Nilgiris was arrested after a snare he laid to trap wild game led to the death of a leopardess on Sunday, August 23, 2026.The Forest Department said that the incident occurred on Sunday, in an agricultural field in Ithalar in Udhagai South Forest Range in Nilgiris forest division.After they received information about the incident, Forest Department staff as well as veterinarians reached the spot and began the operation to try and rescue the ensnared leopardess. A sedative was administered to the animal before it was extricated from the snare. However, the animal died shortly afterward, as the snare had trapped it around the abdomen.A case was registered following the incident and the caretaker of the field, identified as Shanmughanathan, was detained and questioned.“In his statement, he admitted that he was responsible for maintaining the land and that, as carrots were currently being cultivated, there had been considerable problems with deer and wild boars entering the plantation. He stated that he had therefore installed a snare made from clutch wire to prevent and deter the animals. He claimed that the leopard had become trapped unexpectedly,” the Forest Department said, adding that the accused was arrested, produced in court and remanded to judicial custody . Published - August 24, 2026 09:46 pm IST