NILGIRIS: A male leopard, which is suspected to have killed two people in Nilgiris district in the last 15 days, was tranquilised and captured by forest department personnel on Sunday. While the animal had killed a three-year-old girl in Mango Range Forest in Pandalur on Saturday, a 29-year-old tribal woman, Saritha of Elamanna, died of injuries suffered in leopard attack on December 21.
After a team of four veterinarians tranquilised the big cat, it was placed inside a cage and transported to the Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Vandalur near Chennai. Officials said the leopard is believed to be the one that had injured five people, including two fatally, in the Nilgiris range since December 21, 2023. Angered by the spate of attacks, people of Kolappalli had blocked roads on Saturday demanding the immediate capture of the animal. On Friday, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) gave the permission to tranquilise and capture the wild animal.
Captured male leopard around 4 years old
According to sources, Rajesh Kumar, a forest department veterinarian, was collecting blood and hair samples at the site where the girl was killed when the leopard attacked him on Saturday. Forest teams tried to tranqulise it, but it had retreated deeper into the forest area.
On Sunday, additional teams were deployed and the leopard was spotted around 3 pm. Veterinarians manage to shoot the tranquiliser dart and the animal hid in the bushes. The teams tracked it down and placed it inside a cage and took it to the Theppakadu Camp.
Tense moments prevailed as people in Pandalur demanded that the animal be killed. Officials pacified them. D Venkatesh, Conservator of Forest and Field Director of MTR, told TNIE, “After discussion with the PCCF, permission was obtained to shift the animal to Vandalur. The four-year-old male leopard was tranquilised by a single dart.”