Efforts on to capture leopard holed up in warehouse near Coimbatore without using tranquilliser

Forest staff have been asked to use various means to drive the animal from the hideout, says Chief Wildlife Warden

A forest guard standing near the warehouse at B.K. Pudur where the leopard is hiding.

The Forest Department is keen on capturing the leopard holed up in an abandoned warehouse on Coimbatore-Palakkad Road without using tranquilliser dart.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden Shekhar Kumar Niraj told The Hindu on Tuesday that he had not given an order to tranquillise the animal.“But have asked them [staff] to drive the animal using various means and then trap it,” he said.

The unused warehouse at B.K. Pudur, about 10 km from Coimbatore city, has two doors where the forest staff have placed cages. “If the carnivore comes out through the doors, it would get trapped,” said officials.

To lure the leopard, the two cages have live dogs as bait. The dogs are kept in a partition of the cage so that they will not be harmed.

Conservator of Forests S. Ramasubramanian visited the place on Tuesday. The boundary of Madukkarai forest range is 4 km from the spot.

Assistant Conservator of Forests C.Dinesh Kumar, forest veterinarians A. Sukumar (Coimbatore division), Rajesh Kumar (Mudumalai Tiger Reserve) and Madukkarai forest range officer P. Santhiya are camping at the place.

The department on Tuesday morning released a video of the leopard moving inside the building.