4 months ago
2
Frequent sightings of leopards astatine the Marayeepalayam hillock adjacent Punjai Puliyampatti successful Sathyamangalam taluk person caused panic among section residents, who person urged the Forest Department to instrumentality factual steps to seizure and relocate the animals.
In the archetypal week of December 2025, locals archetypal spotted a leopard successful the hillock, which spreads crossed 144 hectares. A week later, two leopards were sighted successful the aforesaid area. Following this, unit from the Vilamundi Forest Range Office nether the Sathyamangalam Division of the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) placed 3 cages with bait, installed 5 camera traps, and conducted drone surveillance. Forest unit besides carried retired combing operations successful the rocky hillock, which has a ample fig of boulders. However, the animals could not beryllium traced.
Since then, repeated leopard sightings person continued to trigger panic among residents. On Tuesday (January 20, 2026), a leopard was seen climbing down from a boulder, further causing unrest successful the area. A Forest Department authoritative said the leopards proceed to usage the boulders arsenic their hideout and provender connected chaotic boars that are contiguous successful ample numbers successful the hillock. The authoritative added that the bait placed successful the cages remained untouched and that, contempt sustained efforts, the leopards could not beryllium tracked.
eom\sps.
