Woman killed in leopard attack

A 40-year-old woman was killed when she was attacked by a leopard at Chikkasooligere, a village on the Savanadurga-Magadi Road in Ramanagaram district, on the outskirts of Bengaluru on Thursday evening.

According to villagers, Puttamma was returning home with her cattle when the feline attacked her. The incident came to light when some villagers noticed her body in a farmland.

It is suspected that the leopard first tried to attack the cattle. It attacked Puttamma when she tried to save the cattle or chase the wild animal away, according to sources in the Forest and Police departments.

Following the incident, villagers staged a protest at the spot against the Forest Department, demanding effective measures to prevent man-animal conflict. Forest personnel assured them of setting cages and trap the leopard.

The woman’s body was shifted to the government hospital in Ramanagaram for autopsy.

Elephants

An undeclared curfew-like situation prevailed at Honganuru village in Channapatna taluk after a herd of wild elephants entered the village.

The pachyderms entered the village from one of the elephant corridors in the region and sparked off panic among the villagers. A team of forest personnel was rushed to the village and instructed residents to stay indoors.

An operation to drive away the elephants has been started, Forest Department sources said.