Leopard preying on livestock in villages around MM Hills

MYSURU: For the past month, residents of villages on the edge of the Male Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary have been living in dread of a leopard that has been preying on their livestock. In addition to tracking the big cat on the ground, foresters have deployed drones to spot the leopard. However, the leopard continues to evade capture.
The leopard was recently spotted near the Sathegala Handpost and in the vicinity of Yadakuriya in Kollegal.Foresters deployed drones in and around the villages four times in the past month but the unmanned flying vehicles were unable to sight the leopard.
Foresters said that the leopard had thus far killed four goats, all of which belonged to Nagendra, a farmer in Yadakuriya village in the past month. The big cat has also been targetting stray dogs in the villages.
Against the backdrop of growing alarm among the villagers, foresters have placed two cages, one each in Sathegala and Yadakuriya. A 25-member team has also been constituted to comb the villages. Members of the team will be scouting the area around the Old Paper Factory, where the villagers claimed to have sighted the big cat.
Admitting that they had been unable to capture the leopard, deputy conservator of forests V Yedukondalu told , “We have been scanning the area using drones. Leopards usually stray into villages to prey on dogs or livestock. They hunt during the night and return to the forest. They generally do not attack human beings so villagers need not panic. We have spotted pug marks that offer us some hint of the leopard’s movements. Yadakuriya is a village near the riverbank that has vast stretches of open land dotted by palm trees. The Sathegala forest leads to Yadakuriya and the leopard must have walked along this route. The Gavirayagudda forest is near the Sathegala post,” he said.
Yedukondalu said that combing operations would be undertaken once a fortnight at those places where the leopard was sighted.