In a major respite to the trekking pilgrims, another leopard was on Thursday, August 17, 2023 captured on the Tirumala footpath leading to the hill temple of Lord Venkateswara.
Incidentally it is the exactly the same cage set up in the vicinity of Narasimha swamy temple on the footpath where a leopard was trapped three days back on Monday.
In the aftermath of the ghastly incident wherein a six-year old girl Lakshita was mauled to death in a wild beast attack last week, three cages were set up at three different locations along the foot path.
The forest officials have cordoned the area and said that the captured beast was a full grown adult and very ferocious.
So far, three leopards have been captured in the last fifty days.
‘Operation Leopard’ will continue, says TTD chief
Meanwhile, addressing the media, TTD Chairman B. Karunakar Reddy said that the ‘Operation Leopard’ would continue until the last beast was captured.
“Besides ensuring the safety of pilgrims, efforts to capture the stalking leopards will also be carried on simultaneously,” he said.
Taking exception to the trolls on the social media regarding the decision to provide hand sticks to the trekking devotees, he said the suggestion was made by the wildlife authorities, and the temple administration had nothing to do with it.
