Calf killed in suspected leopard attack

Coimbatore: The forest department on Monday deployed anti-poaching watchers and set up cameras in and around Chittepalayam village near the Sirumugai forest after a four-month-old calf was killed in a suspected leopard attack.
Forest officers said the calf, reared by N Murugan, 48, of Chittepalayam, was found dead with bite marks near his house on Monday morning.
“On Sunday night, Murugan had let his cattle graze on his farmland at the foothills of Thenkalkaradu, which is just 50m from the forest. As the calf did not return, he launched a search in the morning and its carcass was found near his field,” a forest officer said.
When alerted, Sirumugai forest range officer E N Manoharan and his team reached the spot. Villagers complained that a leopard had been roaming in the area and urged him to capture it immediately. They also threatened to stage a protest if the incident were to be repeated.
Following this, the forest department deployed anti-poaching watchers and fixed four cameras to monitor and capture the movement of wild animals in the area. “We installed camera traps to find out which animal killed the calf. If leopard is roaming in the area, we will immediately place traps to capture it,” Manoharan said. tnn