Leopard Spotted at Srivari Mettu in Tirumala

A group of devotees raised an alarm after noticing the leopard. The staff immediately informed the Andhra Pradesh forest department officials, who rushed to the spot to trace the leopard. They examined the pug marks at the spot.

Forest officials said the leopard might be on its routine course to hunt a pig when it accidentally reached the step number 434 at Srivari Mettu footpath triggering panic among the devotees. “We are on high alert. Our teams are patrolling the area in the interest of devotees,” Tirupati district forest officer V Saibaba said.

According to officials, devotees reach Tirumala by walking from two traditional paths – Alipiri and Srivari Mettu instead of travelling by road. Srivari Mettu covering over two kilometers is shorter with more than 3,000 steps. It starts from a few minutes’ drive from Srinivasa Mangapuram temple.