The forest personnel successfully caged two panthers on Tuesday night and early Wednesday as the wild animals entered two villages close to Papansam in search of prey.
After panthers started preying on domestic and pet animals from the residential areas close to the Western Ghats like Vembaiahpuram, Anavankudiyiruppu and other places near Papanasam in the district, the forest personnel caged a panther at Vembaiahpuram last Saturday. The caged big cat was later released beyond Manimuthar dam in the Western Ghats in the Kalakkad – Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve’s Ambasamudram Division.
As the forest department had kept another cage at Anavankudiyiruppu, a female panther was caged on Tuesday night.
When the residents of Vembaiahpuram complained again about the movement of the panther in their area, another cage was kept in the village on Tuesday evening and the stray predator was caged in the early hours of Wednesday.
Deputy Director of Ambasamudram Division of KMTR, Ilaiyaraja inspected the caged panthers, which were released deep inside the sanctuary on Wednesday after a veterinarian checked the animals.
The forest personnel also tranquilised three langurs at Sivanthipuram after the monkeys attacked the public. The tranquilized langurs were released in the Western Ghats.
