Another leopard seen in Tirumala, spreads scare among pilgrims

Tirupati: Raising concerns among devotees of Lord Venkateswara, a new leopard has been sighted near the Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple along the Alipiri-Tirumala pedestrian route on Thursday night.

"Images of the leopard have been captured by four trap cameras set up along the stretch between Anjaneya Swamy Temple and Narasimha Swamy Temple," TTD executive officer A.V. Dharma Reddy himself disclosed in response to a reporter’s question during the “Dial your TTD EO” programme on Friday.

The development has added to worries of the visiting devotees, forest department and the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).

Responding to a question on relaxing restrictions on plying of two-wheelers on the ghat roads, the EO said as the threat of wild animals is continuing to persist, it is for the wildlife authorities to take a call on such restrictions. He said forest authorities will be supplying 10,000 sticks by the end of this week for distribution among pilgrims trekking to Tirumala.

Forest officials, however, sought to allay fears about the new leopard sighting. They underlined that it is a normal phenomenon in the area, owing to abundance of prey along the Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple-7th Mile-Gali Gopuram stretch. The plenitude of prey naturally attracts wild predatory leopards to the area. Forest maintained that there is no immediate cause for panic, as the leopard's movement is in the forest area. There is no indication that it intends to trespass onto the pedestrian route.

Concerns continue as a six-year-old girl had been killed in a leopard attack on August 12. Forest department and TTD forest wing have so far captured four leopards, which are currently housed at S.V. Zoological Park in Tirupati. Authorities are awaiting forensic test results to determine which of these leopards is responsible for the fatal attack.

Once the identity of the killer leopard is established, it will be quarantined at the zoo. Arrangements will be made to release the other captured leopards back into the forest, based on the forest authorities' recommendations.

Officials said "Operation Chiruta," aimed at ensuring the safety of devotees and wildlife, will continue. The movement of leopards and other wild animals is being closely monitored throughout the area as a precautionary measure.