The hill town of Valparai near Coimbatore witnessed a series of protests on Saturday after a 52-year-old woman was mauled to death by a leopard on Friday evening. Following the protests from residents of tea estates, the Forest department set up six traps to catch the animal.
Around 6 p.m. on Friday, M. Kailasavathy, a resident of Kanjamalai estate, was attacked by a leopard while she was washing clothes in front of her estate quarters. The animal dragged her for about 50 feet inside the bushes after inflicting wounds on her head and neck. Ms. Kailasavathy's husband, who reached the house a few minutes later, found traces of blood.
With the help of neighbours, he traced Ms. Kailasavathy in the tea bushes even as the leopard fled the spot. The body was taken to the government hospital in Valaprai. The body was autopsied on Saturday and the final rites performed in the evening.
Traffic through Valaparai town was hit for more than three hours after protesters squatted on the road. They initially refused to accept the body demanding that the authorities ensure adequate security for the estate workers from carnivore animals.
Valparai Deputy Superintendent of Police K. Subramaniam said the Valparai MLA, Forest Department officials, Revenue officials and representatives of the estate management held discussions with the protesters, whose prime demand was protection from leopards. Of the ₹4 lakh to be released as compensation to the victims of the family, ₹50,000 was given on Saturday.
The Forest Department has set up at least six traps in estates in Cinchona, Kallar and Kanjamalai to catch the man eater.
Around 50 camera traps were set up to track the movement of leopard(s).
Ms. Kailasavathy’s death comes a day after B. Madhavi, 45, a resident of Cinchona first division at Valparai, was attacked by big cat when she was washing utensils outside her house. So far, Valparai has seen five leopard attacks on people this year. On February 1, a 10-year-old boy was mauled to death by a leopard in the Nedumalai north division.
CPI(M) protests
The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Coimbatore district committee has criticised the Forest Department for failing to take action to contain the increasing human-animal conflict in Valparai.
The party's district secretary, V. Ramamoorthy, said killing of the 52-year-old woman in Kanjamalai Estate was the 10th such case in the hills since January. Those who died include the woman, a boy and a woman from Cincona. The release said the leopard had reportedly killed another woman on Thursday.
Whenever wild animals attacked people, the government and the Forest Department convinced the residents and made promises that were never fulfilled. Had these promises been kept, most attacks could have been avoided.
The release said the government should enhance the compensation to the woman's family to ₹20 lakh and to ₹3 lakh to the injured woman from Cincona.
The government should declare that the working hours would end at 5 p.m. in areas where animals were on the prowl, the release added.
