Killer leopard on the loose in Medak

A spree of cattle kills over three months in Medak district, which has spiralled to peak in March, has been keeping forest officials on their toes. The officials attribute it to the doing of one or more leopards, which have strayed probably from the adjoining Pocharam wildlife sanctuary.

The latest kill has been that of a sheep on March 26. Two days prior to that, a calf was killed and eaten. A total of 14 animals were killed — 10 of them in March alone — and all were calves, except for the sole sheep.

The kills were recorded in Tonigandla, Katriyal, J. Lingapur, Laxmapur, Sutharpally, Khajipally and Akkannapet villages, where it is a habit to herd the cattle in farmlands.

About 25 foresters have set camp at the site looking for traces of the killer animal, but after over a month of futile search, they have not been able to ascertain if it is a single beast or more.

A total of 37 cameras and seven traps have been placed covering areas where the kills have been reported. Three more traps will be placed soon. “We have been spending sleepless nights. Except for a couple of clerical employees, the whole staff from our office is at the site, trying to locate the animal,” says Padmaja Rani, District Forest Officer, Medak.

Contrary to the assumptions by many, the big cat here is different from the dead one whose body was found near a village in Kamareddy district three days ago.

A camera trap confirmed that, when the animal approached its kill and feasted on it in the dead of March 24 night.

“We convinced the farmer to leave the carcass in his field, and got the leopard on camera when it returned to the kill. The animal could not have been more than two to three years of age, while the dead panther was past its prime. Besides, the location where the body was found was 50 to 60 kilometres away,” Ms. Padmaja Rani says.

Interestingly, there is evidence that the animal first struck a suckling calf that was three to four months old, but was probably deterred by the mother’s resistance. Then it killed a two-year-old which was alone.

On March 27 too, a leopard was caught on camera trap while drinking from a waterhole on the forest fringes. However, it was different from the one captured on lens earlier.

“There are seven to eight leopards roaming these forests. Unless we have evidence, we cannot say if it is one or more killing the cattle,” the DFO says.

The villagers, meanwhile, have been instructed to tie the cattle near their homes, and use the community toilets instead of open field at night.