TIRUPUR: The forest department on Thursday tranquilised and captured a four-yearold male leopard that attacked two farm labourers and an anti-poaching watcher (APW) in a maize field at Pappankulam village here three days ago.
Frontline staff of the department, who were camping at Pongupalayam in Perumanallur after locals spotted a big cat, had received information about a leopard attacking a stray dog near the warehouse of a private garment unit at Ammapalayam in Thirumuruganpoondi municipality on Thursday morning.
By the time the staff reached the spot, the animal had attacked Rajendran, 66, security guard of the warehouse, and was hiding in bushes near the warehouse, said Anamalai tiger reserve (ATR) field director S Ramasubramanian. “We brought veterinary assistant surgeon of the animal husbandry department E Vijayaraghavan and veterinary officer of Coimbatore forest division A Sukumar to the spot.
Vijayaraghavan climbed the terrace of a building with a dart gun and our frontline staff used an earthmover to remove the bushes. When the leopard came out of hiding and attacked an APW, Vijayaraghavan fired two darts. The frontline staff restrained the animal and shifted it to a cage. The leopard was translocated to ATR on Thursday evening.
