Elusive big cat returns and kills cattle in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: A leopard, which was elusive for weeks after sparking an alarm in south Bengaluru with its presence, returned on Friday and killed a head of cattle at Siddanapalya in Kaggalipura, off Kanakapura Road, near NICE Road.
The leopard had killed a cattle head and a spotted deer previously in the area. Following the leopard attack, the forest department is on high alert and range forest officials have been patrolling the area to track it.
Muniraju, from Rachanamadu near Kaggalipura, said the leopard sneaked into the cattle shed belonging to a farmer named Naganna in the wee hours of Friday.
“It dragged the animal for a few metres and left behind the carcass after devouring it partially. Previously, when it had sneaked into the village limits, we had burst crackers to chase it away. The leopard’s presence has triggered panic among villagers and many are afraid to venture out late in the evening,” Muniraju said.
Forest officials inspected the carcass and set up vigil around the village. “Half the carcass was eaten away and there were no traces. The leopard appears to have attacked the cattle one day ago and the villagers may have noticed it today because of the presence of the carcass. The village is only 500m from the boundary of BM Kaval forest area and the leopard may have come from that forest,” a forest official from Bengaluru Urban forest wing told TOI.