PESHAWAR – The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife Department, along with the local administration, have recovered the remains of a leopard from the Shulman Valley of Khyber district.

Reports in local media suggest that the rare leopard of endangered species was apparently poisoned to death for attacking cattle in country’s northwestern region.

Wildlife officials said signs on the body of big cat showed that the animal may have been poisoned intentionally.

The wildlife department has taken the corpse of the leopard into custody and warned of action against those involved in leopard's death.

The recent development comes months after two cubs of same species were found dead in Tirah Valley of Khyber district.

The big cats, distinguished by their well-camouflaged fur, are vanished from at least half of their historic range in Africa and Asia. These animals are listed as “near threatened” on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.