Leopard on prowl, Chengalpet residents cautioned

The local panchayat and the foresters also made informed the villagers not to venture out after dusk and also avoid grazing at twilight. Chengalpet ranger A. Gopu said the elusive leopard which was caught on camera last July had started revisiting a stream in the area and fresh pug marks were visible.

Following complaints from two villagers after sighting the leopard, surveillance had been stepped up in the area. A cage to trap the feline had been set up. So far, the leopard had not been a threat to humans, but there were instances of the animal killing goats reared by local farmers, he said.

Forty-year-old Kathavarayan, a resident of Anjur said two local villagers, who noticed the leopard last night, alerted villagers. The locals were living in fear.

‘“I leave in the morning to reach my work place at the Guindy Industrial Estate and will return only after 9 pm. The movement of a leopard is certainly not good news for me, The foresters have asked us to avoid late night and morning hours, but it is impractical for me,” he said.

Forest department sources said efforts were made from May to September last year to trap the feline. Camera traps were set up to confirm the identity of the 12-year-old male leopard; but the animal could not be caught. The initiative was given up. Now, with the villagers again raking up the issue, efforts were on to cage the animal alive, they said.