Leopard Sighting at Patalaganga Puts Officials on Alert
The leopard, estimated to be around one-and-a-half years old, was captured on a CCTV camera entering the compound of priest Satyanarayana Sastry’s house
ANANTAPUR: A leopard was sighted inside the compound of a house in the Patalaganga area of Srisailam in Nandyal district during the early hours of Friday, triggering an alert among forest and temple authorities.
The leopard, estimated to be around one-and-a-half years old, was captured on a CCTV camera entering the compound of priest Satyanarayana Sastry’s house. The footage showed the animal wandering inside the premises for more than three minutes before retracing its steps and leaving.
Family members said they were all indoors at the time and escaped unhurt.
Following the sighting, the forest department and Srisailam temple authorities sounded an alert and intensified surveillance in and around the Patalaganga area.
With Srisailam witnessing heavy pilgrim inflow over the past week due to holidays and New Year festivities, devotees have been advised to remain vigilant and avoid moving alone in the early hours, particularly near forest-fringe zones.
Officials said precautionary measures have been stepped up to track the movement of the wildcat and prevent any untoward incident.
A similar incident was reported in January last year, when a leopard entered the same priest’s compound, an episode that was also recorded on CCTV. The animal reportedly left after failing to find food.
