MAYILADUTHURAI: A leopard running on the streets of Mayiladuthurai on Tuesday night triggered panic among residents and sent police and forest officials into a tizzy. Mayiladuthurai Collector AP Mahabharathi, who visited the Koranad area in the town where the leopard is suspected to be hiding, declared holiday for seven schools in the locality late on Wednesday.
“Among the seven schools, four have Class 10 exam on Thursday. We have directed officials to provide armed security to those four schools. People need not panic. We are taking all necessary steps to catch the leopard,” the district collector said.
Around 10 teams consisting of more than 50 personnel from forest, fire, and police departments have been formed under Nagapattinam Wildlife Warden Abhishek Tomar to catch the animal. A control room has also been set up in Thiruchampalli to coordinate the search operation. The search teams on Wednesday combed hundreds of houses, backyards, farms, schools, cattle sheds and butcher shops but the animal is till elusive. Officials are trying to find out how the leopard found its way into the town.
People have been warned to stay indoors through public announcement systems across the town. The forest department has also requested people to inform them about leopard movement on mobile number 9626709017. The residents of Semmangulam located close to Koranad first reported the animal intrusion to police around midnight on Tuesday.
‘Drones deployed to trace leopard’
A CCTV footage from the area shows a wild animal chasing a pack of dogs and the dogs in turn chasing the animal on the streets. The town police immediately informed the range office of the forest department. A team from the forest department later confirmed the leopard’s presence after analyzing the animal’s footprints in the locality. A young pig was also found mauled to death near a channel near Semmangulam. Officials suspect that the leopard may have killed the pig.
A senior police official said, “We suspect the animal is hiding behind a private school in Koranad. We have deployed drones to conduct an aerial search. We are uncertain about the animal’s movements at the moment.” Mayiladuthurai district administration declared a holiday on Wednesday for Balasaraswathi Matriculation School in Koranad after it was reported that the leopard was last seen near the school.
The animal intrusion has surprised the residents of Mayiladuthurai as the district does not have any significant forest cover and has no history of leopard attack.