Male leopard suspected to have killed two people last week, trapped in T Narsipura taluk

Exactly a week after 60 year old Siddamma was killed, special teams of the forest department have succeeded in trapping around a five year old male leopard in T Narsipura taluk of Mysuru district on Wednesday night. It is suspected to have been the one which might have killed both Siddamma and 11 year old Jayanth in the taluk last week.

According to K N Basavaraj, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Mysuru Division, they have trapped it in a special cage which resembled a cow shed at the same place where Jayanth was killed near Horalalli at Narigyaathanahalli, survey number 152 at Sosale hobli in T Narsipura taluk..

According to forest officials the leopard had eaten off the front portion head area of both Siddamma on January 19, Jayanth at Horalahalli on January 22, a calf at Siddanahundi on January 24 night, and even the bait kept at the cage on Wednesday night. Also the distance between all three incidents is hardly one and half km. Hence the officials have suspected that it could be the same one which had killed both Siddamma and Jayanth. Also it was sighted in a trap camera near the place of Jayanth's incident on Wednesday morning. However in order to confirm if it was the same one, the forest officials have sent the samples to forensic science laboratories CCMB (Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology) Hyderabad and a Forensic Science Laborratory.

As per sources, although there was no written official order for shoot at sight, there was oral instructions of shoot at sight to kill the killer leopard.

As per the picture captured in the trap camera fixed at the cage, the leopard had entered the cage around 2pm on Wednesday night. It was in the morning when they went to check
the cage, they found the leopard in the cage. They have sent the leopard to Bannerghatta Zoo and it will be imprisoned in the cage for life.

As many as 158 personnel were pressed for the special operation taken up day and night, from January 20 after Siddamma was killed. As many as 80 trap cameras and 18 cages are installed in the places where attacks on humans and animals are reported in the taluk. Special elephant and tiger task forces are also utilised on rotation basis. A thermal camera with a drone is also used.

DCF Basavaraj said that they will continue the operation, as they are not sure about how many leopards are there, since they have been getting complaints of leopards being sighted in several villages. They are getting street lights installed in the villages so that people can notice the leopard movement. Also they are getting the bushes in vacant sites and agricultural fields cleared to prevent the leopards from hiding.

He added that they have even taken up measures to play music in loudspeakers at religious institutions including temples from 5am to 8am and 6pm to 8.30pm every day at 21 villages in T Narsipura taluk where the fear of leopard grips the most. This is to send a message to leopards that the village remains active. This is one of the several measures which the forest officials are experimenting to keep the leopards away from the villages.

Forest officials have rescued 34 leopards in Mysuru division since April 2022 including 13 in TNarsipur taluk so far.

Leopard task force:

Meanwhile, forest department officials are awaiting for government order (GO) for the formation of 'Special Leopard Task Forces' (SLTF) to tackle leopard menace in certain remote areas especially T Narsipura of Mysuru district. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had instructed to form SLTF, at a meeting held with forest officials and Mysuru DC Dr K V Rajendra on Tuesday evening. Kumar Pushkar, Assistant Principal Chief Conservator of Forests informed this and said that the GO is likely to be issued in two days.