Leopard scare: Public given cell numbers to alert foresters

In an effort to allay the fears of public, the Tirupattur forest division on Thursday circulated the mobile phone numbers of its personnel among the locals with an instruction to provide information on the movements of a leopard if they spot the animal in their region.

The move comes after residents of Arakandakuppam near Vaniyambadi, spent a sleepless night a couple of days ago following information that a leopard was sighted in the compound of a house.

In the same village, a calf was also found with bite marks, after which, the forest officials inspected the village. Since there was no pug mark confirming the movement of a leopard, forest officials told the villagers that the sighted animal was not a leopard. The officials said the bite marks could be that of a stray or wild dog.

Forest department staff, including ranger KR Cholarajan, informed the villagers that the three cages brought to their area still remain in the same spot at Chikkanankuppam in Thumberi Reserve Forest. They added that the forest officials from Hosur, who arrived with tranquilizer guns, had left the guns with local forest staff, after teaching them how to fire the darts.

Advising the villagers that there was no need to panic, the department in an effort to allay the fears provided the mobile numbers of forest ranger officer Cholarajan (9894020880), forester K Parandaram (8110056512), and forest guards K Munuswamy (9047944765) and M Chellappa (9786226657). The officials promised the locals that immediate action would be taken on the receipt of information.