BENGALURU: Officials from the Karnataka forest department and Leopard Task Force have captured two leopards -- a male and a female aged around seven years each -- on successive days.
The department captured the leopards after a woman aged 53, a resident of Kambala Gollarahatti village near Shivagange deemed forest, located on the outskirts of Bengaluru city, near Nelamangala, was killed in a leopard attack.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, a senior forest department official said, “On November 17 evening, a woman had been brutally attacked by a leopard. The feline had also eaten a portion of her body. Following this, it was decided to capture the leopard. After conducting a detailed study of the region, cages with bait were set up at strategic locations. On November 25, we were able to capture a male and on November 26, we captured a female. Both the individuals are in their prime age and are healthy with no injuries.”
As per preliminary reports, using information gathered through foot patrolling, images captured through 20 camera traps and thermal drones, the department has found that there are three leopards in the area. Officials have taken a decision to capture all of them and undertake a DNA study.
“Based on the DNA study, it will be ascertained which leopard had killed the woman. That leopard will be retained in the rescue centre while the remaining one will be released back into the forest. So far, minimal human imprinting is being done on the animals,” the official said.
For the patrolling and capture operation, the department has deployed 20 staffers along with 35 members from the Leopard Task Force. In the meantime, the forest department staffers are also using loudspeakers and other mechanisms to create awareness among people of the presence of leopards.
The official said Shivagange is a forest patch and people staying in villages around it including Seegahalli and Gollarahatti are well aware of the presence of leopards. They have been co-existing with them for years. “This is the first time such an incident has happened in the area. During an interaction, the villagers said that leopards have been usually eating their hens and cattle, but not humans,” the official added.