Police in the north Indian hill state of Himachal Pradesh say they have detained two men on charges of trapping a pregnant leopard and torturing her to death.
Police said the alleged incident took place Friday in a jungle near the village of Jwalamukhi in the picturesque Kangra Valley, 136 miles from the state capital of Shimla.
A police spokesman said the animal was first caught in a trap laid by the poachers. Its eyes were pierced with spears and it was stabbed through the heart, he said.
A forest official said a post-mortem report revealed the 30-month-old female leopard was three months pregnant with three cubs.
A villager discovered the blood-splattered remains of the animal hidden in bushes and immediately alerted the authorities. Police later arrested two suspected the poachers hiding in the jungle.
The official said poachers have killed four leopards in recent months.
The detained men, who police say hail from the neighbouring state of Punjab, have been arrested under the Indian Wildlife and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and could face a prison sentence if found guilty.
AFP