A female leopard, and its prey, a monkey were found dead in a well at a private tea estate at Kilkotagiri in Nilgiris on Wednesday. Workers belonging to the Bomman Tea Estate informed the forest department of a foul smell emanating from the well, upon which the carcasses of the dead animals were found.

The leopard is believed to be about four years of age and is suspected to have dragged the monkey onto the well where it had sat on the wire mesh that was used to cover the well, upon catching its prey and subsequently losing balance owing to the mesh breaking due to the combined weight of the two animals.

Forest department officials retrieved the carcasses.