NILGIRIS: Two tribal women were injured in a leopard attack at Elamanna beat near Bitherkad range in Gudalur forest division on Thursday morning. The leopard attacked Saritha at 6.30 am and one hour later, allegedly the same animal attacked Durga.
Both incidents occurred when the victims were attending nature’s call near their houses. Saritha was taken to Pandalur government hospital, and referred to Ooty government hospital. Durga was also taken to Pandalur Hospital and referred to Ooty government hospital. Another woman, S Valliamma, from the area was also injured when she tried to escape from a leopard attack at 8.30 am.
Condemning the incident, local residents staged a protest seeking the forest department to take steps to capture the leopard and prevent such attacks. The three-hour protest ended after Gudalur DFO Kommu Omkaram assured the people to capture the leopard at the earliest by placing cages.
According to sources, the Biterkadu range staff had placed three cages and camera traps in the surroundings of Elamanna. An official of Bitherkadu said Saritha and Durga had minor injuries and the animal had attacked them at a one-hour difference as the settlements were 250m apart. “We will deploy additional staff to prevent further incidents and also distribute compensation to the women,” the official added.