COIMBATORE: Officials of the Madukkarai Forest Range have installed four camera traps to identify the carnivore suspected of killing three goats at Ramya Garden in Mavuthampathi panchayat in the early hours of Monday.
Residents suspected that a leopard was involved in the incident, as two of the goats were found dead at the spot while the third was reportedly carried away. Velusamy, the owner, who found the animals dead on Monday morning informed the Madukkarai forest officials.
"Though pugmarks were noticed, they were not clear enough to identify the animal. The goat owner claimed that one of the goats was carried away by a leopard. Our staff searched the forest area to check whether the leopard had left the carcass. To ascertain whether a leopard was responsible for the deaths, we have installed camera traps and will confirm its presence by Tuesday," a forest department official said.
A special team has been deployed to prevent further escalation of human-leopard conflict in the area. Officials said regular patrolling had been carried out until about a month ago, but personnel had subsequently been engaged in operations to drive away wild elephants.
"We have been advising cattle and goat owners to keep their animals inside sheds to prevent such incidents. However, residents continue to ignore the advice and now claim that a leopard killed the goats. Compensation will be provided to the owner once he submits an application," the official said.