Gudalur villagers demand capture of leopard sighted in residential areas

COIMBATORE: Residents of Gudalur in the Nilgiris demanded the forest department to capture a leopard frequently straying into their neighbourhood during night. It is suspected that the leopard is sick and is venturing frequently into their residential locality in search of easy prey. “The leopard takes a casual stroll on the roads without minding the vehicle movement, unlike the healthy ones that are generally shy and retreat fast on seeing human beings.

Also the animal walks slowly and looks exhausted,” claimed villagers. The carnivore is sighted in ‘kachikolli mattam’, vattikolli and Anjukunnu villages in Devarshola in Gudalur Taluk. It was just a few months ago, a woman and a girl child were killed in a leopard attack. The villagers claimed that students are gripped in fear and are refusing to go to school.