Leopard which preyed on cattle finally captured by forest officials

HYDERABAD: A wild male leopard suspected to be aged around 5 years and in its prime that over the past six months killed some cattle, particularly calves, in villages in Chinnashanakrampet mandal has now found a new home in a different forest. The leopard was trapped sometime between Sunday night and Monday morning from near Kamaram village in the mandal after it walked into a baited cage that was set up by forest department officials.
According to district forest officer Padmaja Rani, the department staff set up a trap placing the carcass of a calf. “Our timing and choice of location to place the trap was right. The leopard that got trapped in the cage was inspected by a veterinary officer and was declared to be without injuries and fit for release back into the wild,” she said.
Late on Monday evening, the leopard was taken to an undisclosed forest location and released. “The place where it was released is being kept under wraps as we do not want unnecessary attention on the forest where it was released,” a forest department official here said. It was learnt that there was some discussion as to where the leopard should be released including one of the tiger reserves – either Amrabad or Kawal – but it was decided that the animal should be released in a different protected forest.
Officials said with the trapping of the leopard and removing it from the area it was operating in, residents of Suraram, Kamaram and Vallur areas where the leopard reportedly killed several calves over the past few months would not have to worry about such attacks any more.