Leopard scare haunts Kovai residents once again after reported sightings

COIMBATORE: Scare of leopard has come to haunt residents of Kuniamuthur once again after residents of JJ Nagar claimed to have spotted the animal.

Residents of the crowded locality in the heart of Coimbatore are scared despite forest department officials assuring them that there are no traces of the carnivore in their residential neighbourhood.

To ensure safety of the public, forest officials have installed four camera traps and ramped up monitoring activities to instill confidence among the people. “A thorough search was done in abandoned buildings, and other areas in several residential localities. But we couldn’t find any trace of the animal. Besides placing camera traps, our team has also been deployed in the area as a precaution,” said a forest department staff of Madukkarai forest range.

In 2022, a leopard was caught by the forest department officials in Kuniamuthur, after the wild cat entered into a warehouse in the locality. In another wildlife related development, surveillance has been enhanced by the forest department after pug marks in a farm confirmed the presence of a leopard in Sathyamangalam Forest Range in Erode.

Vehicle riders spotted the carnivore crossing the road near a private school in Ariyappampalayam around 7 pm. An hour later, the leopard was seen by villagers at a sugarcane farm in Chinnakaradu area.

On receiving information, a team of officials arrived and examined the pug marks and confirmed that it belongs to a leopard. Efforts have been taken to drive away the animal and monitoring has been enhanced.

Meanwhile, KCP Elango, chairman of Sathyamangalam Panchayat Union urged the forest department to capture the animal by placing cages. He also appealed to people of Dasanaickenpalayam and Kullanaickenpalayam villages to be cautious due to the movement of leopard.