Tirupati: Forest department officials have successfully captured a fourth leopard near the Alipiri footpath leading to the revered Lord Venkateswara temple in Tirumala. The elusive animal was apprehended in the vicinity of the 7th mile during the intervening night of Sunday and Monday.
This capture comes within a fortnight of the third leopard being caught, a response prompted by a couple of wild animal attacks on children in the area. Tragically, one of these attacks resulted in a fatality. The forest department had been employing various strategies to ensnare this leopard for a week, but initial attempts proved futile as the feline evaded the traps set up for it.
After employing diverse techniques in the quest to capture the elusive predator, the authorities finally managed to secure the leopard at the 7th mile location last night. In line with the protocol observed for previously captured leopards in the vicinity, this latest capture will also undergo a quarantine period of up to 10 days at the Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park. During this time, the animal will be subjected to DNA analysis to ascertain whether it had consumed human flesh, a crucial step in understanding its behavior and potential threat to humans.
While the forest department awaits the DNA analysis report of the two leopards caught earlier, the comparison between the DNA profiles of the three captured leopards will aid in determining which one was responsible for the recent attack on a minor girl. Forest officials emphasize that monitoring of animal movement along the footpath leading to Tirumala will be an ongoing priority.
