Leopard captured near Sirumugai

COIMBATORE: Forest department officials on Thursday captured a leopard, which had been frequenting Mothepalayam village in Sirumugai forest range. It was later released into the Thalamalai reserve forest at Thengumarahada village near Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve.
The officials had placed camera traps to confirm the the presence of the animal. They placed a cage near Chinnamalai Karadu near Mothepalayam on Wednesday. “We kept a goat as bait inside the cage. The leopard got caught around 9am, Thursday,” an official said.
The official said the leopard was a three-year-old female. They released it deep in the reserve forests of Thengumarahada, where there would be a better prey base for the big cat.
There had been a leopard scare at the village for the last one month. “As the village is hardly a kilometre away from the forest area, wild animals usually cross the area to reach the water source nearby,” the official said.
Mothepalayam village had seen quite a few leopards. A leopard, which had been preying on dogs and goats in the village, was captured on the outskirts of the forest last August.