COIMBATORE: Students and faculty of Bharathiar University (nestled close to the Western Ghats) were gripped with panic and hurriedly evacuated the premises after a staff member allegedly sighted a leopard on the campus on Wednesday morning. An officer from the forest department confirmed that leopard pugmarks were found at the spot.
The teaching staff who spotted the leopard during his morning walk said, “I was walking towards a small bridge near the college canteen around 7:50 am when I noticed a group of deer and peacocks running past swiftly. I stood there to watch the deer. Suddenly, a leopard pounced out of the bushes and leapt in front of me, charging towards the deer. I only saw it for a few seconds. I was stunned but I managed to flee and warn the students about the leopard ,” he recalled.
The university administration declared a holiday and dropped over 200 students off campus on buses around 11 am. No one was allowed inside campus after 9.40 am. However, the non-teaching staff alleged that the university declared leave only for students and teaching staff, but not for the non-teaching staff.
Forest department officials from the Coimbatore range stepped up their surveillance inside the campus. An officer from the forest department confirmed to TNIE that leopard pugmarks were found at the spot. “We have installed a camera at the spot where the leopard was sighted,” he said.
The university will place a watch tower to monitor animal movement round-the-clock and clear the bushes, said sources. “The university will function by taking precautionary measures, on Thursday. Students will be transported by bus to their respective departments,” sources added. Attempts to reach Bharathiar University registrar (in-charge) Rupa Gunaseelan went in vain.