HASSAN: Not only elephants , but also Leopards create panic among the people here. The Leopards entered the village habitats in Holenarasipur,Channarayapatna and Arasikere taluks of Hassan district and attacked the domestic animals. The leopards enter the villages in search of food during the night. Shravanabelagola hobli of Channarayapatna taluk, Salagame Hobli of Hassan taluk and Halekote hobli of Holenarasipr taluk are the Leopard prone areas in the district.
Vindhyagiri hill shrine where a 75ft monolith statue of Gomateshwara is installed also is considered a Leopard prone area where the people of Nagaiahana Koppau at the bottom of Vindyagiri have been anxious as Leopards often enter the village and attacking calves and dogs. The tourists visiting Vindhyagiri are also afraid of Leopards which are often sighted in daylight.
The Leopards mauls Sheep, goats and stray dogs and also attacks the calves by entering in cow sheds at farm houses. Based on the complaints the forest officials set up the cage in the field to pacify the people. Three incidents of attacking the farmers were reported in Holenarasipur and Arasikere taluks last year. Sources in the forest department say the population of the Leopard has almost doubled in two decades. The department approximately says more than two hundred Leopards live in different forests and hills in the district. The forest department has captured nearly thirty five Leopards from different parts of the district and freed them in Bisale forest.
Basavegowda, a farmer who lost two calves within a span of six months alleged that the forest department has failed to combat Leopard menace and take steps to provide the food inside the forest. The department also did not give the compensation intime citing different reasons. The department has a shortage of cages to capture the Leopards, he added. Nagarajiah a farmer of Hangarahalli said that the farmers not going to the fields adjacent to the hill fearing to the leopards. Speaking to the Express Basavaraj the deputy conservator of forest said that the department will set up the cage where the Leopard often sighted and translocate them to nearby forests. The department will release the compensation for Leopard attacks following the guidelines of the Department he added.