Representative image of a leopard.
Credit: DH File Photo
Turuvekere (Tumakuru district): A leopard went from one village to the next in Dabbeghatta hobli in Turuvekere taluk, Tumakuru, mauling five people on Wednesday.
The first victim was Naduvanahalli resident Vanajakshamma, who was set upon by the big cat while she was working at a farm. Her plight attracted workers from neighbouring farms, seeing whom the leopard fled the spot. The same leopard that reached the outskirts of Gonitumakuru, where it attacked and injured Hucchhamma, who was also working at a farm. While Hucchhamma sustained wounds on her face and neck, Sannalingayya and Boregowda, who rushed to her aid, were left with injuries on their backs and legs.
The big cat was spotted inside a shed in Devihalli, where it attacked the owner Shekarayya. Thinking on his feet, Shekarayya was quick to leave the shed and lock it from the outside. A large number of villagers gathered at Shekarayya’s shed on hearing about the leopard.
The villagers claimed that around five leopards, including cubs, were prowling around the area, and urged the Forest Department to take steps to catch and release them to the woods.
Chikkanayakanahalli Range Forest Officer Amith assured the villagers that an expert from Mysuru was on the way to Tumakuru to assist them in capturing the leopards. “Meanwhile, the Forest Department will bear the expense of treating all those who were injured by the leopard,” he added.