Tirupati: State forest department officials have successfully trapped the fifth elusive leopard on the Alipiri footpath, leading to the hill town of Tirumala.
This capture comes in the wake of growing concerns over wild animal attacks in the area, following a tragic incident on August 12 when a six-year-old girl, Lakshita, was fatally mauled by a leopard.
The elusive leopard was captured at approximately 12.30 am on Thursday, ensnared within a cage set up in the forest area close to the Elephant Arch, near the Narasimha Swamy temple on the Alipiri footpath.
Forest officials, who coordinated the operation, have described the captured leopard as a fully grown adult displaying a high level of ferocity. Efforts to trap the animal began after its movement was captured in trap cameras last week.
According to district forest officer (DFO) A. Srinivasulu, the captured two-year-old sub-adult leopard, which happens to be female, has been relocated to the Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park in Tirupati for a period of quarantine.
During this quarantine, the animal will undergo tests to determine if there are any traces of human flesh in its system. If these tests come back negative, the leopard will then be released into a distant forest.
The DFO further mentioned that the department is awaiting the results of tests conducted on the previously captured leopards to determine which one had been responsible for the tragic incident on August 12.
Once identified, that leopard will be permanently confined to the zoo, while the others will be released into a distant forest. However, the forest official noted that they will temporarily stop setting up traps but will continue monitoring the movement of wild animals through surveillance cameras. This procedure will be extended to bears and other wild animals.
The recent capture marks the fifth leopard caught in the area since July.
TTD authorities confirmed that they had detected the presence of five leopards in the vicinity of the Alipiri-Tirumala walkway, and all of them have been captured.
However, on September 6, TTD executive officer A.V. Dharma Reddy disclosed that cameras had recorded the movement of two leopards—one on the Alipiri footpath and another near Silathoranam.
Addressing media persons after visiting the trapped leopard along with forest and TTD officials, TTD chairman Bhumana Karunakar Reddy stated that 'Operation Chirutha,' under the supervision of TTD and state forest officials with a forest staff of 300, will continue.
He reiterated that TTD remains committed to rolling out stringent security and vigilance measures for the safety and protection of devotees during their pilgrimage to Tirumala, without any compromise on their well-being.
