Second Leopard Captured in Tirumala after Girl's Death, Fear Grips Devotees

Tirupati: Forest authorities have captured another leopard in the forest area close to the Alipiri walkway in Tirumala during the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday. This is the second leopard caught within three days of the first being captured following the killing of a six-year-old girl Lakshita by a leopard last week.

The movement of leopards has instilled fear among devotees visiting Tirumala for darshan of Lord Venkateswara Swamy. Both devotees and Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) staff are on high alert after young Lakshita’s death.

State forest authorities have placed multiple cages at strategic locations around the possible human-animal conflict areas, including Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, Mokali Mitta, and the 35th turn atop the hill.

According to forest officials, this is the third leopard they have trapped within the span of past 50 days. Notably, the earlier leopard had been captured near the Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, where Lakshita had been found killed.

A forest department official stated, "As the situation remains dynamic, we, along with TTD officials, are continuously collaborating to address the threat of leopards.

The latest leopard captured will be quarantined for a period of 10 days at S.V. Zoological Park in Tirupati, as per protocol. A DNA analysis will be conducted to determine whether this leopard had consumed human flesh.

The result of DNA analysis conducted on the leopard captured earlier is still awaited.

"We are yet to decide when these leopards should be released into the forest. The decision will be taken based on the DNA analysis report. In the interim, we will continue our efforts to monitor the movement of animals along the Tirumala walkways,” the forest official added.