Elusive leopard caught in Coimbatore taken to STR

The leopard frequently strayed out of the forest, giving sleepless nights to villagers. The complaints that a leopard with its cubs from ‘Chennamalaikaradu’ forest area had been preying on goats and dogs, triggered panic among villagers, forcing them to stay indoors after dark.

As villagers demanded to capture the animal, the forest department, after confirming the presence of the carnivore, placed a trap cage. “CCTV cameras were fixed and movement of the animal was analysed. After confirming the presence of the animal to specific localities, the Sirumugai forest department officials placed a cage near a farm on Wednesday night,” said an official of the forest department.

A goat was kept inside the cage as live bait to lure the animal. In the early hours of Thursday, villagers upon hearing the roar of the leopard, informed the forest department. The department staff arrived immediately and found a female leopard, aged around two years, trapped inside the cage, while the goat remained safe in another compartment.

As news of the trapped leopard spread, people from the nearby villages came to have a glimpse of the animal. The big cat was then transported in a truck and released into the Thengumarahada forests, far away from human settlement.

The forest department has also decided to keep track of the movement of the leopard for the next few days to ensure that it is safe and copes in its new habitat.

This is the second leopard to be trapped from Mothepalayam village here in the last six months.