TIRUMALA: The forest authorities successfully captured another leopard on the Tirumala walkway during the search conducted on Wednesday night and Thursday early morning. This is the second leopard captured from the area in three days, following the tragic death of a six-year-old girl, Lakshita, who fell victim to a leopard attack last week.
The movement of leopards has created panic among devotees visiting Tirumala for the darshan. In the wake of leopard attack incidents, both devotees and Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) staff have been on high alert. Following the killing of the 6-year-old girl forest authorities placed multiple cages in strategic locations around the area. As traps were set up in crucial spots, forest authorities could capture two leopards in three days. In total, three big cats were captured within a span of 50 days.
“We have strategically positioned three cages in areas where there wwere leopard sightings. These locations include Mokali Mitta, Lakshminarasimha Swamy temple, and the 35th turn, which recorded leopard presence in recent times. We collaborated with the TTD authorities to address the leopard threat effectively”, a forest department official said while urging devotees to exercise caution and adhere to safety guidelines while walking through footpaths to Tirumala.
