VILLUPURAM: Forest Department officials have confirmed that the tracks found in the villages near Gingee belong to a leopard and have warned the villagers not to venture into the forest. They said that arrangements are being made to capture the big cat after finding its lair.
Villagers of Siruthalaipoondi, Sozhankulam and Annamangalam near Gingee complained about the movement of a mystery animal in their locality. They said that within a week, three calves, three dogs and one goat was killed by the animal.
Forest officials, suspecting that they might be leopard tracks, sent material to Vandalur for tests. The test report, on Monday, confirmed that the mystery animal was a leopard. An official said that a warning had been given to villagers. He added that they had advised villagers not to take their cattle into the forest and women were told not to roam about with their children at night.
A forest official said that they were conducting research to find where exactly the leopard could be, and would plan an operation to catch it based on the information.