The Forest Department has stepped up vigil near Avinashi in Tiruppur district, as two men claimed to have been attacked by a leopard on Monday.
According to the police, Varadharaj (60) and Maran (65), both daily wage labourers, went to a maize farm at Pappankulam village near Cheyur around 7 a.m. They returned with injuries and claimed to their family members that they were attacked by a leopard. While Maran’s lower lip was severely injured, Varadharaj suffered a minor cut injury on his left shoulder.
The two injured men were rushed to the Government Medical College Hospital in Tiruppur shortly after the incident. Their health condition was stable and no other resident in the village was injured, the Cheyur police said.
S.N. Thejasvi, Deputy Director of Anamalai Tiger Reserve (Udumalpet) and District Forest Officer, visited the spot around noon on Monday. He told The Hindu that the Forest Department has set up 12 camera traps in the area where the suspected leopard attack took place. The location, which comprises a coconut grove along with the maize farm, was also surveyed using a drone camera. However, no conclusive evidence such as a sighting of the carnivore or detection of pugmarks were gathered in the area, he said.
“Whatever we have got -- everything is indirect evidence,” Mr. Thejasvi said, based on statements from the injured men and other eyewitnesses. Around 60 Forest Department personnel were deployed at the Pappankulam village on Monday. The personnel also brought a cage, which would be strategically placed after the leopard has been sighted, he said.
It is suspected that the leopard might have escaped from the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Erode district, which is around 30 km away from the village. Samples from the injuries of the two men will also be sent for forensic analysis for further confirmation, Mr. Thejasvi said.