Nauwa (Rajasthan), Oct 24 : The villagers of Nauwa in Rajasthan are alleging that lackadaisical attitude of the ill-equipped forest department officials led to the death of a leopard, who in spite of being rescued from a 25 feet well died here on Tuesday.

The rescuers had tied a rope around the leopard’s body, which later slipped and formed a noose around its neck that proved fatal for the big cat.

However, the Forest Department justified tying the leopard with the rope.

"The leopard fell into the well which had water. So we did not tranquilise it. Had we done so, it might have drowned. So we tied a rope around the body and pulled it out," said Chaman Singh, Official of the Forest Department.

The leopard was rescued with the noose around its neck. Initially, it went into a state of shock and later succumbed to the injuries and died in Gulab Bagh Zoo.

While the forest department officials are shying away from commenting on the situation, the post mortem report indicates that hunger, anaemia and shock are the other plausible reasons for its death.

The doctors also say that the rescue team should have taken more precautions and should have provided extra support through a plank or a cot while pulling the leopard out.

The authorities are conducting further investigations to establish the cause of death. (ANI)