Reports on sighting of a leopard on the campuses of the S.V. Veterinary University and the S.V. University in Tirupati on Saturday night created a flutter, even as the forest officials maintained that they could not find any pugmarks on the wet ground or the image of the animal in the camera-traps installed in the area.
Divisional Forest Officer (Tirupati wildlife management) Pawan Kumar told The Hindu that unconfirmed reports of a leopard on the prowl in the intersection areas of the two campuses surfaced in early September and special teams have been deployed to scare away the leopard.
The official said that some of the staff had claimed to have seen the animal later jumped their versions. “The hostel staff at the veterinary university informed us that three dogs which used to move around the bins for leftovers have gone missing in the last few days. As the area is close to the Tirumala foothills, it is natural for leopards to go after their favorite prey, dogs. The camera traps showed us the image of a dog, but there was no sign of leopard,” he said.
Pawan Kumar maintained that no steps would be initiated to capture the animal, unless it was proven to be a man-eater or it had with a history of attacking humans. “We have sought the university officials to stop dumping of food-waste, which attracts dogs, which in turn, lure leopards,” he said.
