Nilgiris (Tamil Nadu): Nine days after two persons were mauled to death by a leopard, the forest department team caged the big cat after giving anaesthesia in Pandalur in Tamil Nadu's Nilgiris district on Sunday.
On Saturday, local people had set up a road block in demand to catch the leopard. Last evening, a three-year old girl named Nancy was killed after being attacked by a leopard. The incident occurred when Nancy was returning home with her mother, who works in an anganwadi centre in Mangorange. The animal had dragged her to the nearby tea garden.
It was only after hearing the mother's cries that local people rushed to the spot and rescued the girl. She was admitted to Pandalur Government Hospital, where she died during treatment.
On December 28, a 29-year-old tribal woman named Saritha succumbed to her injuries after being attacked by a leopard. She was a resident of Pandalur in the district.
In the last 15 days, the district has witnessed a host of leopard attacks. While two persons have died four were injured. Local residents complained that leopards were occasionally straying into the villages and attacking people and cattle.
Protesting against the frequent incidents of leopard attacks, locals and traders' associations blocked roads in 10 places and observed a bandh yesterday. They demanded that the leopard which has been attacking people be captured immediately. The protest had even stalled traffic movement along Gudalur-Kallati road for many hours.
Meanwhile, more than 50 forest department personnel including two veterinarians conducted search operations across the district. They set up six cages and monitored the movement of the leopard with the help of a drone.
Finally, the leopard was caught by administering anaesthesia and then locked into a cage. Forest officials said it is a four-year-old male leopard and plans are afoot to release it into the Mudumalai Elephant Camp.
Chief Minister M.K.Stalin has announced a compensation amounting to Rs 10 lakh each to the families of two victims killed in leopard attacks.
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