Forest Department use drone to track leopard that killed cow

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Forest Department officials on Thursday warned people of Talavadi in Erode district to stay indoors as a leopard, that had killed a cow in the village, is on the prowl again.

Forest Department officials told media persons that they have installed drones to track the movement of the leopard.

The partly-eaten carcass of the cow was found in the early morning of Wednesday and the Forest Department was alerted. The department officials directed the villagers not to remove the carcass and wait for the animal that had killed it to return for it.

A senior Forest Department officials told IANS that the villagers did as directed and on Thursday morning, found that a part of the remaining carcass was eaten and pug marks of the leopard were found on the premises.

After this, the department installed camera and trap near the place where the carcass was found, and drones were pressed into service for surveillance. Forest Department officials told IANS that a defunct quarry in the area was full of shrubs and thickly vegetated and the department and local police have directed the owner of the quarry to clear the vegetation to find whether the leopard has taken shelter there.

Forest department and local police have warned the people of Talavadi not to venture out of their residences at night until the leopard is nabbed and sent back deep into the forest.