TIRUMALA: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) security staff spotted a leopard on prowl near the security control room at Srivari Mettu in Srinivasa Mangapuram of Chandragiri mandal in Tirupati district on Saturday night, sparking fear among the pilgrims and locals.
Located near Sri Kalyana Venkateswara Swamy temple in Srinivasa Mangapuram, Srivari Mettu is one of the two-foot paths taken by devotees to reach Tirumala temple.
The security staff noticed the leopard when it was chasing dogs near the control room. Out of fear, they locked themselves inside the control room and alerted the forest department officials.
The dogs near the control room, which is six km away from Srinivasa Mangapuram temple, started barking at the big cat when it came after them. After chasing the dogs briefly, the leopard went back into the forest area. Scared of the leopard, the staff stepped out of the control room only after the first light. They were relieved when a patrol unit of the TTD Vigilance department found them.
Currently, Srivari devotees are allowed to use the pathway between 6 am to 6 pm and the number of them using the path is relatively lower than that of Alipiri. TTD security wing and the forest officials are closely monitoring the situation and will set traps to catch the big cat if the situation escalates.
In another incident, a 14-foot python found its way into Sringeri Sankara Matam near SV Museum from the nearby forest area on Sunday. The devotees were shocked when they witnessed the huge reptile.
The mutt management alerted TTD employee Bhaskar Naidu, a snake rescuer, who caught the python and released it into Avachari Kona.