JOIN USLeopards continue to haunt villagers in Maddur
Following complaints that leopards are being spotted in various parts of Maddur taluk, Mandya district, Forest department personnel continued their operation to capture them, here, on Sunday.
Meanwhile, one dog was killed, while a calf was injured in leopard attacks. On Sunday morning, a female leopard was spotted along with its two cubs. It was drinking water near a farm at Shankarapura village. Puttaswamy, a farmer, who spotted the leopard raised an alarm, but, the cats entered a sugarcane farm in the vicinity and disappeared. He alerted the Forest department personnel, who visited the spot and continued their search for the leopards.
Forest personnel, who identified the pug marks of the cat, later suspected that it might have moved to other parts of the taluk.
On Saturday night, a dog was killed by a leopard in Valagerehalli of the taluk. On Sunday, a leopard attempted to kill a calf tethered in front of farmer Kullaiah’s house in D Hosur village of the taluk. Alarmed by the cries of the calf, the farmer rushed to its rescue and spotted a leopard running away.
Deputy Conservator of Forests Prakash Natanikar said, there have been reports of three to four leopards in various parts of the taluk. “However, not one leopard has been spotted by the Forest department personnel. We have already placed four cages in various parts of the taluk. Three teams, consisting of 100 personnel, are taking part in the operation to trap the animals,” he said.
He urged the villagers to provide accurate information on the whereabouts of leopards, if they spot them. This would help in capturing the cats, he added. He also advised against crowds gathering at spots where the animal is suspected to be hiding, to prevent loss of limb and life.
With leopards being spotted in Malavalli and K R Pet taluks, one cage each have been placed in the regions.