COIMBATORE: The
forest department has planned to set up a trap to capture a
leopard, which has been frequenting Mothepalayam village near Mettupalayam.
An official from the department said they had been getting reports of the leopard’s movements in the village for the past six months. “The leopard had attacked a calf and a few goats. We had tried to divert it away into the forest by bursting firecrackers. On Saturday, the animal had killed a dog. Hence, we have decided to place a trap to capture it,” said a forest official from Sirumugai range.
Villagers said the leopard had been coming into the fields at night and had been attacking and devouring dogs, calves and goats.
An official said a cage would be taken from Coimbatore to Mothepalayam. “We have also planned to place camera traps. We would install the camera traps and identify the spot to place the cage to capture the leopard,” said the forest official. He added that they would use a goat as a bait to capture the leopard.
The leopard will be released into the Sirumugai range after it is captured. “As there are deer in the backwater region of Bhavani Sagar Dam in Sirumugai forest range, the leopard would not venture into the village,” said the official.
On Friday, a 48-year-old woman was attacked by a leopard at the Tan Tea Estate at
Valparai, following which the tea estate workers had protested on Saturday demanding protection from leopard attacks.