The repeated sighting of a leopard on the campuses of Sri Venkateswara University and Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University in Tirupati has led to an uneasy atmosphere, instilling fear among students and hostellers to move freely after dusk.
A leopard has been on the prowl on the twin campuses during the last one month, but its presence is now confirmed by the Tirupati wildlife division officials, after some of the students recorded its movement on their mobile phones a couple of days ago. Students and staff on night duty on the campuses informed the forest officials that the leopard moved close to the hostels, and sometimes making a catwalk on the compound walls.
Divisional Forest Officer (Tirupati Wildlife) Pawan Kumar told The Hindu that going by the movements of the leopard, it showed a tendency that it was a stray animal, “strongly attracted to its favourite prey, the dogs, which hang around the trash bins at the hostel messes.”
The official said that during the last one month, special teams were on duty to detect the presence of the leopard and its movements. “So far it has not attacked or even crossed the path of students. The one and the only reason for its moving close to hostel messes, located close to the Tirumala foothills, is the teeming population of dogs. “We advise the authorities of both the universities to address the canine menace in coordination with the municipal officials,” the DFO said.
Mr. Kumar said that a strategy was being readied to drive the leopard back into the forests. “If we find any signs of the leopard turning aggressive towards humans, we will not hesitate to write to the superiors to seek its capture,” he said.
