TIRUMALA: Forest officials, with the help of Wildlife Management, Tirupati circle, have set up three ex teams to search for a wild animal, which is suspected to be a leopard, prowling on the ghat road to Tirumala and also at Balaji Nagar, a residential area atop the hill shrine.
At least two families are said to have been attacked late Sunday night by wild animals. According to some pilgrims, two persons fell off their two-wheelers and suffered injuries after being attacked by a wild animal. In the first incident, near Harini, an open auditorium, a pillion rider, named Yamini, 20, fell off the bike and suffered minor injuries when a wild animal attacked her.
Just two minutes later, another two-wheeler reached the spot. Pavani, a 12-year-old girl, fell off the bike and injured her leg when the animal attacked her. Both the families reported the matter to the staff at the GNC toll gate, which is very close to the spot where the mysterious animal attacked them.
Saravanan, Chief Conservator, Wildlife Circle, Tirupati, said that there was a complaint from people who were attacked by a wild animal. “Leopard generally doesn’t have the habit of attacking humans on speeding vehicles. We have posted three teams at the incident spot, Balaji Nagar and another area, to keep track of any wild animal from Monday night till the end of summer,” he said.
Senior forest officials, who inspected the area, said that from GNC rest house, Padmavathi guest house area to the Harini area, wild boar frequently crossroads. “Wild boar crossing the area may have hit the two-wheelers and the pillion riders may have fallen down,” they said.