COIMBATORE: A day after a leopard was spotted in Valparai higher secondary school, officials of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) stepped up vigil inside the school premises.
Valparai forest range officer A Manikandan on Thursday deputed four Anti-Poaching Watchers (APW) to allay fear among the students. However, the big cat did not return on Thursday.
After inspecting the school on Wednesday evening, ATR staff requested the headmaster to instruct students not to go near the bushes since the animal may hide in bushes.
Speaking to TNIE, HM G Sivanraj said, “We have asked Valparai municipal sanitary inspector to depute workers to clear bushes but no one was sent.” The HM added students of Classes VI to VIII were told to avoid going near the bushes as their classes are located near to them.
The HM said he would seek help from nearby tribal residential school authorities to focus one of its CCTV cameras on the school to monitor for the leopard’s movement.