DHARMAPURI: A leopard wandered into a farmland and preyed on a dog raised by a local farmer, in Kuppankottai on Monday. Forest officials said that staff will be stationed here at night and trap cameras will be placed.
A video has been spreading on social media showing a leopard wandering into a farmland and dragging a wild dog sleeping at the entrance of a farmer’s residence. Hearing noises, the farmer attempted to rescue his dog but in vain. Residents urged forest staff to capture the leopard and relocate it.
Speaking to TNIE, P Vinayakam, the farmer, said. “The CCTV footage came from my home in Kuppankottai. We were aware for some time that a leopard was roaming in the vicinity after people grazing cattle in the forest alerted us.
So far it has remained in the forest, but now it comes to residential areas looking for prey. On Sunday night, it killed a dog of mine while another dog narrowly escaped. We urge forest staff to take steps to relocate the leopard.”
Another resident in the area, J Rasappan said, “This is not the first time a leopard has wandered into our village. A few years ago, it had killed some chickens.”
Palacode Forest Ranger P Natraj told TNIE, “For now we will station three forest staff in the area and monitor leopard movement. Further, we will also raise awareness among residents to keep livestock, poultry, and domestic animals secure. If need be, we will take steps to trap the leopard.”
DFO S Rajangam said, “It is confirmed that the dog was hunted by the leopard. We will also be placing trap cameras and have instructed people not to sleep in the open. Our staff will also be stationed here at night.”