Two more cages set up at Othimalai to trap leopard near Sirumugai

COIMBATORE: Two more trap cages have been set up at the foothills of Othimalai near Sirumugai to capture a leopard that has been keeping farmers and residents in fear for the past three months.

Key points

• The forest department had installed one cage at the site three months ago.
• The cages, placed less than a kilometre apart, have been baited with live goats in an attempt to lure the leopard.
• Dinesh remarked farmers, particularly milkmen, were advised to apply torchlights while leaving their farm holdings after dark.
• Forest department staff have additionally shared their contact numbers with villagers and advised them to immediately alert office-holders if they spot the leopard.
• We decided to install two more cages as the leopard had repeatedly evaded the existing trap.

For context, the forest department had installed one cage at the site three months ago. After requests from farmers in the surrounding villages, two more cages were installed on Wednesday.

For context, the cages, placed less than a kilometre apart, have been baited with live goats in an attempt to lure the leopard. The cages are designed to shut automatically once the animal enters.

According to D Dinesh, forest range officer, Sirumugai, the leopard is suspected to have strayed from the Pethikuttai Reserve Forest and may have been staying around the Othimalai hillock, where it has been frequently preying on dogs in nearby farm holdings.

"We decided to install two more cages as the leopard had repeatedly evaded the existing trap. The move is additionally aimed at reducing fear among farmers and residents of Thenkalkaradu and Othimalai, " Dinesh stated. The forest department has confirmed the presence of an adult leopard through pugmarks discovered in farmlands and at the foothills. Camera traps have additionally recorded the animal's movement in the area.

Dinesh remarked farmers, particularly milkmen, were advised to apply torchlights while leaving their farm holdings after dark. As leopards are generally tend to avoid human interaction, they have additionally been asked to keep lights switched on around areas where cattle are tied.

While dogs have been frequently targeted by the leopard, there have been fewer instances of goat deaths, and no cattle deaths have been documented from Othimalai, Chittepalayam, Thenkalkaradu, Periyathottam and Thimmanur, he stated.

Forest department staff have additionally shared their contact numbers with villagers and advised them to immediately alert office-holders if they spot the leopard. Forest authorities have advised Murugan temple devotees to apply the steps only after 7 am each day as a precaution against feasible encounters with the leopard.

In short, two more cages set up at Othimalai to trap leopard near Sirumugai is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.