NILGIRIS: Gudalur has been gripped by fear of leopard again. This time the public panicked amid social media reports that an injured leopard took shelter in a grove at Ponvayal which is close to the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR). Upon receiving the information, the staff and the members of the anti-depredation squad have been circling the area for the second consecutive day on Wednesday.
The squad members noticed pugmarks of the animal in the grove on Tuesday, however, they haven't spotted it directly.
Based on the video that was seen on social media, a team led by Gudalur forest range officer Radhakrishnan interacted with the grove owner. However, he told the forest department staff that he did not spot the big cat. However, some in the neighbourhood shot a video of the animal and shared it on social media.
"We have confirmed the animal presence by identifying pugmarks in the grove. However, the pugmarks are not across the grove. Local reports say it has trouble walking but we need to confirm if the animal is injured. We will monitor animal movement by fixing camera traps," a forest department source said.
The official said they would fix a few camera traps in the grove close to where the pugmarks were seen. "Currently, we have no plans to capture the animal. We will decide on treating it after ascertaining its injury by checking its activities as in the camera traps," said the official.
The official also said that the movement of the big cat is common in the surroundings of Gudalur and there have been no adverse interactions with humans so far. "We are trying our best to avoid leopard attacks by instructing people to take precautions," the forest department official added.