KRISHNAGIRI: A leopard, believed to be six years old, that was spotted in Adavisamipuram near Denkanikottai a few days ago got trapped in a cage placed by the forest department in the wee hours on Thursday. The leopard had instilled fear in surrounding villages of Adavisamipuram like Samipuram, Adaikalapuram, Thandarai, Islampur, Bennangur since 2023.
Hosur forest division wildlife warden Bakan Jagdish Sudhakar told TNIE, “ The leopard movement was found near Adavisamipuram from middle of 2023. For more than 1.5 years we have been tracking it. The area has hillocks and the big cat used to hide in them. It used to prey on street dogs and cattle. We placed cages at five places but it did not get caught. On Thursday, it walked into the cage.”
He added that the animal was released in the Cauvery North Wildlife Sanctuary in the afternoon. Two veterinarians from Kakkadhasam and Santhanapalli accompanied the animal during transportion. “The leopard is healthy and we will continue to monitor it,” he added.
A team led by Denkanikottai forest ranger N Vijayan and ACF M Raja Mariappan had been following the leopard’s movement for more than a year. A forest department official said over 30 domesticated animals like sheep, goats, and dogs were attacked by the leopard, but no farmer has claimed compensation.
N Duraisamy (45) a farmer from Adavisamipuram village told TNIE that, people of Thandarai panchayat and surroundings are relieved. Over 90 street dogs and 25 goats were killed by the leopard in last one year.