VELLORE: Carcasses of goats left unburied may have lured the leopard, which killed 24-year-old S Anjali, into Drhuvam village near Veerichitipalli reserved forest area, said forest officials. They added that a search is ongoing to capture the leopard.
Speaking to TNIE, the Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) S Manivannan said that more drone cameras are being deployed and neighbouring areas are being thoroughly inspected.
“In the course of the search, we found that villagers had left the carcasses of goats exposed, without burying them. This might have attracted the leopard to the village. We have informed the villagers that they must properly bury the goats,” the ACF said.
Once the leopard is captured, higher officials will determine where it should be released, he added.
Meanwhile, District Collector V R Subbulakshmi, in an official press release on Friday, urged the public not to panic while the forest department continues its search for the leopard. Anjali, the daughter of farmer Sivalingam, was a B Com graduate. Officials confirmed that a boy from the village had witnessed the leopard dragging Anjali into the forest on Wednesday.