TIRUPPUR: Two farmers and a forest watcher, were injured in a leopard attack at Pappankulam in Avinashi on Monday. According to sources, farmers Varadharajan (62) and Mottaiyan alias Maran (68) were attacked by a leopard when they visited their maize field around 6.50 am.
They suffered injuries in the Injuries in mouth, shoulder, and face. Locals took them to the Avinashi Government Hospital. A team of forest personnel inspected the spot and looked for pug marks on the spot. Since the field had been ploughed, they couldn’t get any evidence.
A drone mounted camera was flown in the area to check for leopard presence, but the animal could not be spotted, sources added. Later, forest officials initiated a widespread search operation in and around the maize farm and noticed the leopard coming out twice from the thick vegetation at around 5.30 p.m.
Even as the operation was on, the leopard pounced on anti-poaching watcher Manikandan who escaped with minor injuries and disappeared again. A forest department official told TNIE they will install two cages to capture the animal.