A male leopard cub, estimated to be seven to nine months old, was found dead near the Bannari Amman Temple on the Dindigul–Bengaluru National Highway 948 in Erode district on April 30.
Forest Department officials said the carcass was found adjacent to the Bannari Park, near the temple, and added that it could have been hit by a vehicle early in the morning. The area comes under the Bhavani Sagar Range of Sathyamangalam Forest Division and patrolling staff informed senior officials. Later, a team led by K. Ashokan, wild life veterinarian of Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) took samples from the carcass for examination and carried out a post-mortem on the carcass at the spot. The carcass was burnt later.
Meanwhile, the Forest Department has asked vehicle users not to operate vehicles at high speed while passing through STR. The reserve forests starts near the temple and passes through Dhimbam Ghat Road and Hasanur and vehicles, particularly car users, were asked not to operate at high speed. Officials said that speedbreakers were installed at animal crossing areas and boards with warning messages were also erected at many locations along the highway. They asked the road users to co operate with the department in protecting the forest area and its rich resources that includes animals.