COIMBATORE: Officials of the Nilgiris Forest Division arrested a farm manager on Sunday on charges of placing an illegal snare that resulted in the death of a leopard at Ithalar in Nanjanad Pirivu.
The arrested person has been identified as Shanmuganathan (57), manager of a farm owned by S Ragunath at Karikkadu in Ithalar. The farm is located about 1 km from Attubayil and comes under the Nilgiris South Forest Range.
The leopard was caught in the early hours of Sunday in an illegal snare set up at the farm. Following information from the farm owner, forest officials spotted the leopard around 9 am.
As the clutch wire had become entangled around the abdomen of the female leopard, forest staff were unable to approach the aggressive animal. Subsequently, Veterinary Assistant Surgeon Dr K Vijayaragavan from the Wildlife Transit and Treatment Centre (WTTC) at Pethikuttai, Sirumugai, was called in to rescue the animal.
As there was no veterinarian available in Ithalar, it took more than four hours for the veterinarian to reach the spot from Pethikuttai. Sources said the prolonged delay led to the animal’s death.
