TIRUNELVELI: Kaanum Pongal is when people receive visitors, but a day after, the people of Palayamkottai were greeted by an unlikely feline guest. A leopard terrified residents, attacked three persons and was tranquilised and released into the forest after an adrenaline-filled four hours on Sunday.
Around 6 am, when early-bird residents stepped out for their walk, some of them spotted an animal leaving a cowshed. Curious, they followed the animal and to their shock, they realised it was a leopard.
“My son’s friend called us in the morning and informed us about the leopard. Half an hour later, officials made a public announcement through speakers,” said a resident.
Following this, the residents locked their houses and alerted their family members not to leave the house. In the meantime, the leopard strolled through the streets and finally took temporary shelter inside a house.
Meanwhile, a photographer reportedly reached the spot and attempted to take pictures of the big cat
Recounting his experience, Arumugam, former president of Kaduvetti, told Express, “We were inside our house as we were alerted over phone. However, I saw a photographer trying to take pictures. I thought if he goes alone, he would be attacked. Hence, some of us accompanied him despite the announcements made by the rescue services officials.” It was this group that later attracted the leopard’s attention.
Camera-shy Big cat Terrorises Palayamkottai, Injures Three
The group stationed itself on the terrace of a house and the photographer attempted to click pictures of the leopard. However, the leopard spotted them and within seconds, scaled the wall and jumped onto the terrace. “It first attacked Gani, the photographer, striking his head with its paw. When he attempted to escape, he sustained injuries on his hand,” said Arumugam.
Frightened, Arumugam jumped from the terrace, only to be followed and attacked. “The leopard jumped down and bit me on the shoulder. I fell and saw a stone nearby. I picked it up and threw it at its head. It then ran off,” said Arumugam, who sustained jaw and shoulder injuries.
Meanwhile, district forest officer Ambrose had instructed forest officials to trap the leopard, while Fire and Rescue services personnel also reached the spot, along with Assistant Commissioner Stanley Jones. Dr S Muthukrishnan an associate professor, department of Anatomy, Veterinary College and Research Institute, came to assist the officials.
“We followed the leopard closely for a short distance. But we could not find a suitable occasion to inject the drug. After attacking the photographer and Arumugam, it ran towards me and attacked,” said Sureshkumar, a fire and rescue service personnel, who sustained injuries on his back.
As the people started making a racket, the leopard panicked and was on the run. “However, we were tracking it and were able to shoot the tranquiliser dart from a blow-pipe, standing on the terrace of a house, following which the leopard became unconscious in 15 minutes. At first we were not able to locate it. Later, we found it inside a bathroom. We locked the door and shot the second dose of tranquiliser through the window, as we needed to wait for the cage to arrive,” said Muthukrishnan. The leopard was aged 3-4 and is healthy, he said.
Tirunelveli Corporation mayor E Puvaneshwari and Chief Conservator of Forests and Field Director A Venkatesh also visited the spot. Puvaneshwari extended her support to admit the injured persons at Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital. The forest officials took the animal to Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve and released it into the forest at Kauthalaiyaru. “We had given Xylazine Hydrochloride to tranquilise it. So we waited until it recovered. We have also given necessary treatment for injuries near its eye. Only after it recovered fully, we released it into the forest,” said Muthukrishnan.
Explaining the leopard’s presence, Venkatesh said, “There is a possibility that the leopard came in search of prey, as Vallanadu forest is a black buck sanctuary.”