Fifth leopard caught near Tirumala temple in Andhra Pradesh

Another leopard was captured on the pedestrian pathway from Alipiri to Tirumala temple of the Seshachalam forests in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati district on Thursday, temple authorities said.

Also Read| Ghaziabad: Forest team put on alert after leopard sighting reported near PAC, Govindpuram

The wild cat was trapped in a cage placed in the woods near Lord Narasimha Swamy temple at seventh mile along the trekking route to Tirumala. “This was the fifth leopard captured in the area in the last two months,” Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) trust board chairman Karunakar Reddy Bhumana told reporters.

The forest officials later shifted the leopard to Sri Venkateshwara Zoological Park, Tirupati.

The movement of leopards close to the walkway of Alipiri in the last few weeks triggered panic among pilgrims who trek the hills to reach the pathway leading to Lord Venkateshwara Swamy temple on Tirumala hills.

Also Read| 4-year-old girl mauled to death by leopard in J&K's Udhampur

On August 11, a six-year-old girl was attacked by a leopard while she was walking to Tirumala along the Alipiri footpath. Her body was found behind Narasimha Swamy temple the next morning and the forest authorities noticed that the leopard which turned a maneater had consumed parts of her body.

Following the incident, the TTD, which manages the affairs of the hill shrine, along with the forest department stepped up vigil. The temple body imposed certain curbs on the movement of devotees trekking to the temple.

The forest officials, who held a series of meetings to review the situation, placed hundreds of cameras along the route, which revealed that an estimated 5-10 leopards were moving in the immediate vicinity of the Tirumala-Tirupati forests.

Subsequently, the forest department launched Operation Chirutha (Operation Leopard) and set up cages to catch the wild cats. On August 14, a female leopard, aged about 4-5 years, was trapped in the cage. It was shifted to the Tirupati zoo.

Three days later, another male leopard of five years was caught in the cage. A third leopard was captured on August 28 near the seventh mile.

Earlier, on June 25, the forest department had trapped a leopard three days after a three-year-old boy was attacked. The wild cat tried to drag the boy into the forest but it was chased by pilgrims and security personnel.

Bhumana said the TTD would take all possible measures to ensure security and safety of the devotees walking along the Alipiri and Srivari Mettu routes to reach Tirumala temple.

The TTD chairman, who visited the trapped leopard on Thursday, said, “The Operation Chirutha under the supervision of the TTD and state forest officials with a forest staff will continue.”

On Wednesday evening, the TTD chairman distributed sticks to the pilgrims trekking the hills, saying it was meant for giving self-confidence to them so that they could protect themselves from wild beast attacks.

He said the TTD had been sending devotees in a group of 100 on the footpaths with a security guard and a hand stick to everyone as a symbol of confidence. Devotees with children were barred from trekking after 2 pm keeping in view their safety, he said.

He said devotees were sent in groups on footpaths with security guards and police personnel were also stationed at frequent distances and wild animal-prone zones on the route.