COIMBATORE: The death of a goat in an alleged leopard attack at a coconut grove in Sulur, far away from forest areas, has once again triggered panic among residents and has put the forest department on alert mode.
One M Karuppusamy found his one-and-a-half-year-old goat dead on his two-acre coconut grove around 6.30 am on Thursday. He claimed that the goat, which had been tied near a small water tank on the premises of the house, may have been killed early on Thursday. The goat's intestines were pulled out and its head was partially eaten, leading him to suspect a leopard attack.
Karuppusamy’s son K Arun said, "Soon after noticing the carcass and the way the goat had been killed, we strongly suspect the role of a leopard. We are shocked that a leopard ventured into our grove in Sulur since the forest is located far away. We do not have CCTV cameras to verify the incident. The leopard killed only the goat, as four other goats had been shifted to a nearby grove a few days ago. Our cows were left untouched," Arun said.
He demanded adequate compensation from the forest department.
"Considering the goat's weight and market value, it could have been sold for around Rs 25,000 had it had remained alive. The forest department should provide compensation accordingly," Arun appealed.
Upon receiving information, forest department staff visited the spot and confirmed that the goat had been killed by a leopard. Officials have decided to install camera traps to monitor the animal's movement.
"We have installed eight camera traps to track the leopard's movement, since we have lifted only the leopard’s pug mark," a forest department official said.
Sources in the department said the leopard could have strayed from the nearby Madukkarai forest area.
"We are trying to ascertain whether it is the same leopard that killed the goat and a calf in Ravuthur Pirivu earlier in January," the official added.
