3 villagers attacked by leopard near Vaniyambadi

A calf and two goats were mauled to death near Ambur two days ago and the bite marks indicated that the livestock might have been attacked by a predator. Forest officials after inspecting the spot said the animal could be a leopard.

While the incident triggered panic and villagers fearing to step out of their houses, the leopard on Thursday attacked three persons.  The victims were identified as Bharathi (45), Alamelu (42) and Santosh, all of Chikkanankuppam near Vaniyambadi.

Bharathi and Alamelu, who went to provide water to their cattle, were attacked by the leopard, which was hiding in a nearby sugarcane grove. Santosh who happened to pass through the area was also targeted by the animal. All the three have been admitted to the Vaniyambadi government hospital.

On information, nearly 30 forest officials and police arrived at the spot and have launched a hunt to trap the leopard.

The presence of a crowd at the trouble spot and their ‘cries’ aggravated the animal which charged from the grove into the crowd and pounced on three persons. However, all of them escaped with minor injuries.

Forest officials have placed a cage at the spot. Police have advised the villagers to keep away from the spot. A senior forest official said that the animal would soon be caught and freed into the forest.