There are two panthers on the prowl near the Tirumala first ghat road – not one as feared by the devotees.
The duo, said to be a mother and its cub, was sighted by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) employees working at Gali Gopuram and later by the Armed Reserve policemen combing the forest.
The attack on two little girls in less than a week was believed to have been carried out by one of the beasts. The two are wandering between Gali Gopuram and the TTD's Deer Park, the latter being the place of the attacks.
‘Live bait'
A trap was laid, with a dog as ‘live bait,' at the spot of Saturday's attack. It was laid so close to the ghat road and the footpath. Even as the cage was being installed and camouflaged with foliage, the dog confined itself to a corner and watched the goings-on with scare-filled eyes. Forest Range Officer (Chittoor East) N.V. Sivaram Prasad, who has been drafted for the task, said that three more traps were being set up in the nearby areas.
Pugmarks sighted
Surprisingly, the pugmarks of a panther were found inside the thoroughly-fenced deer park, home to over 250 deer.
The animal is believed to be regularly entering the park by clinging on to the swaying branches of the bordering trees and getting out the same way after enjoying a ‘sumptuous feast.' “I saw a panther jumping out of the fence in the early hours of Thursday,” Sheik Basha, an animal keeper, told TheHindu.
A veterinary assistant with the S.V. Zoological Park has been posted at the spot with a tranquilliser gun to sedate the animal. “We have the right dose of Ilium xylazil-100 and ketamine injection ready and our pressure guns can shoot up to a distance of 100 metres,” he said. Pilgrims continue to trek the steps in groups.
