Cage placed to trap leopard in village in Coimbatore district

COIMBATORE Following the second incident of a leopard preying on a goat and subsequent agitation by

Following the second incident of a leopard preying on a goat and subsequent agitation by farmers, the Forest Department has placed a cage to trap the carnivore at Muthukallor village, near Karamadai in Coimbatore district. The trap cage was installed in a bushy area of Thogaimalai foothill, abutting the village, on Saturday.

A team led by Karamadai Forest Range Officer N. Divya also installed camera traps to capture the movement of the leopard, based on instructions from District Forest Officer T.K. Ashok Kumar.

According to Ms. Divya, two goats belonging to farmers were killed in the attack of a leopard in September and December. The leopard is believed to have come from Thogaimalai.

On Saturday, farmers from the area staged a protest at Dhayanur demanding that the Forest Department take appropriate steps to protect people and livestock.

Similarly, farmers from villages in the Thadagam valley, coming under the Coimbatore forest range, have also been demanding that the department capture a leopard that strayed from the forest and preyed on livestock and pet dogs.

According to the farmers, around 10 goats were killed by a leopard in places such as Chinna Thadagam, Thiruvalluvar Nagar, Kalaiyanur and Sowdambika Nagar. An official from the Coimbatore forest range said that camera traps were installed at Thiruvalluvar Nagar and Sowdambika Nagar.

“We are checking the camera traps regularly. But, we are yet to get an image of the carnivore. Signs such as pugmarks were also not found in places where goats were found dead,” the official said.