A day after a woman was mauled to death by a leopard in the hill town of Valparai, about 100 km from Coimbatore, a leopard, aged about five, was trapped when it walked into a cage placed by the Forest Department at Cinchona first division tea estate on Saturday.
The leopard was translocated to the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) on Sunday.
Officials who were part of the operation said the leopard that was captured was most likely the one that killed M. Kailasavathy, 52, of Kanjamalai estate on Friday evening and inflicted serious injuries on B. Madhavi, 45, a resident of Cinchona first division, on Thursday.
Forest officials suspect that the same leopard had killed an estate worker Chandramathi, 42, of Cinchona first division on June 1 and Sathya, 10, at Periyakallar on May 25. “Visuals from several camera traps kept in the area and other evidence, such as pug marks, showed that a single leopard had been venturing into human habitations in Cinchona first division and nearby areas. It is the same animal that has been trapped,” said V. Ganesan, Chief Conservator of Forests and Field Director of Anamalai Tiger Reserve.
The leopard, lured by meat used as bait, walked into the trap that was placed barely 50 m away from the residence of Madhavi, who was attacked and dragged by the animal while washing utensils outside her house on Thursday.
The trap was placed after Valparai residents launched a series of protests seeking protection.
Forest veterinary surgeon of Coimbatore Forest Division N.S. Manoharan, who along with his counterpart from Dharmapuri A. Prakash, examined the trapped leopard, said that the animal is in its prime adulthood. “The leopard is very healthy with its claws and teeth intact,” said Dr. Manoharan.
Second to be trapped
This is the second leopard trapped by the Forest Department from Valparai this year following attacks on humans. On February 14, a leopard, aged around five, was caught from the Nedumalai north division after a 10-year-old boy was mauled to death on February 1. It was later released in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve.
M. Ananda Kumar, scientist with the Nature Conservation Foundation which has been studying the conflict situation in Valparai, said that a study on the density of leopards in Valparai, a highly territorial animal, and their behaviour could help the department to effectively implement conflict mitigation measures in the region.
