Leopard, cub sighting triggers panic among residents

The sighting of a leopard with a cub near human habitat in the limits of Kannangi and Triyambakapura gram panchayats and the ovement of a wild tusker in Agumbe gram panchayat limits in Tirthahalli taluk has created panic among residents there.

The residents of Dattarajapura, Hittalagadde, Nagenahalli, Bisilamane, Linganakoppa villages have reportedly sighted a leopard with a cub in the night for the past one week. Three sheep, belonging to Manju of Linganakoppa village, grazing in the forest on the outskirts of the village have also been eaten by the leopard.

Nagendra, a resident of Santehakkalu village said that as population is scattered here, the residents feared to venture out of their houses in night. The students from surrounding villages come to the high school in Kannangi and Triyambakapura by treading the forest path. Owing to the presence of the leopard in the forest, the students are hesitating to come to school, he said.

Madhusudan, Range Forest Officer of Tirthahalli has said that the Department of Forest and Wildlife has received complaints from the people on the movement of leopard in the forest on the fringes of villages in Kannangi and Triyambakapura Grama Panchayat limits. The Forest personnel though combed the forest here, the animal was not sighted. The camera traps would be installed here to track the movement of the animal and cages would be placed to trap it, he said.

Meanwhile, the movement of an elephant has again been reported in the villages in Agumbe Grama Panchayat limits. Hanumanthappa, an agricultural labourer in Agumbe said he had sighted the animal on the outskirts of the village on the night of September 10.

A wild tusker trampled a person to death in Malandur village here in April 2014. In wake of sighting of elephant, the Forest personnel have requested residents to avoid visiting their plantations on the fringes of the forest in night, till the animal is driven back to the forest.