UDHAGAMANDALAM:A severely injured leopard that was found near a residential area close to the Kuntha Forest Range in the district on Sunday triggered panic among the people in the region.
According to sources, an injured leopard was spotted by locals near Kanneri on Sunday morning. On information, forest officer from Kundha range along with field workers reached the spot and started monitoring the movement of the animal and also prevented people from going near the cat.
A forest official told Express that the animal might have strayed from the nearby reserve forest, which is 2 km away.
N Sadiq Ali of Wildlife and Nature Conservation Trust reached the spot along with a rescue team of the forest department and veterinarian Vijaya Ragavan. The injured animal was then tranquilised and put in a cage before taking it for treatment to a facility at the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.
C Badrasamy, District Forest Officer, South Division said that the condition of the animal was critical as it was suffering from neuromuscular disorder. Treatment was being given to set right the problem, he added.