Three panthers caged by the forest department near Papanasam in Tirunelveli district were released into the wild on Thursday, May 23, 2024.
The first panther was caged at Vembaiahpuram on last Saturday (May 18) while two more big cats were caught at Vembaiahpuram and Anavankudiyiruppu on Tuesday night (May 21) and early Wednesday. On Thursday, the cages were loaded on to tractors and were taken to the Western Ghats to release the panthers back into the jungle.
“Since the caged panthers would be uncomfortable if they see humans near the cage, tarpaulins were used to hide the animals from seeing anyone of us standing nearby. Moreover, this would also ensure we avoided causing injuries to the caged animal,” M. Ilayaraja Deputy Director of Kalakkad – Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve’s Ambasamudram Division, said.
While the first and the third panthers were released beyond Manimuthar Dam, the second one has found its new home beyond Mundanthurai.
The residents of Vembaiahpuram and Anavankudiyiruppu near Papanasam, who had sleepless nights after the frequently visiting panthers were lifting their cattle, heaved a sigh of relief now as the forest personnel have successfully caged the visiting beasts after meticulously planning the operation.
A caged panther is being loaded onto the tractor near Vembaiahpuram on Wednesday to be taken to the Western Ghats where it was freed | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
“We decided not to have a person open the cage standing on top of it. We used pulleys to lift the cage’s gate from a safe distance so that the animal could leap out without any fear,” said Mr. Ilayaraja, whose team also captured 8 ‘problematic’ Alpha langurs from Sivanthipuram near Papanasam on Wednesday after the monkeys attacked the public. The captured langurs were released in the tiger sanctuary.
None of the caged panthers suffered injuries, thanks to the professional handling of the wild animals, Mr. Illayaraja added..
The saga of capture
When the villagers gave details about the spots where they happened to see the panthers or the places through which the predators had dragged the cattle from the hamlets into the forest, the officials, led by Mr. Ilayaraja, visited the area to map the exact route with the help of sniffer dogs. Once the places in Vembaiahpuram and Anavankudiyiruppu where the panthers visited were confirmed, iron cages covered with huge branches of trees were placed.
“Since the panthers will avoid the spots where it can sniff humans, we collected goat droppings and urine to be sprinkled on the cages to attract the animals before camouflaging the cages with leaves. Then we kept the goats, the bait, in both the cages,” said Mr. Ilayaraja.
