Nandan had counter-attacked the feline and pierced his thumb into its eyes

Mysore/Mysuru: A leopard that had remained elusive for 22 days after attacking a 12-year-old Nandan at Beeregowdanahundi near Kadakola in Mysuru Taluk was finally trapped. Last midnight, the feline fell into a cage kept by the Forest Department near the farm house where the boy was attacked. 

This morning, villagers and Nandan’s father Ravi heard loud growls from the cage and they alerted the Forest Department. It is a male leopard aged around seven to eight years. Nandan was attacked on the evening of Feb. 21 at his father’s farm house where he had been along his father to feed hay to the livestock. Daringly, Nandan pierced his finger to one of the eyes of the attacking leopard that bit his shoulder. 

Star of Mysore had published the brave act of the boy on Feb. 22 under the title ‘Thumbs Up! Boy pierces leopard’s eye with thumb; feline flees’. On Feb. 21, before the father-son duo entered the shed where the hay was stacked, the leopard lay in wait for its prey. As Nandan was offering the grass, the leopard that was crouching amidst the haystack pounced on him. 

The leopard bit Nandan’s shoulder and a portion of his neck. Shocked by the sudden attack, Nandan screamed for help and at the same time pierced his thumb forcefully into one of the animal’s eyes. Unable to bear the counter attack, the leopard jumped out of the haystack and disappeared into the bushes. 

After the incident, Nandan was admitted to JSS Hospital for a couple of days and he has recovered now. As per the description given by the father and son, the Department learnt that it was a fully grown feline and today too, Ravi and Nandan confirmed to the Department that it was the same leopard that had bitten Nandan. The feline would now be shifted out of Kadakola to either Bandipur Tiger Reserve or Nagarahole National Park, said Forest officials. 

The attack on Nandan had hit headlines and the Forest Department was criticised for not doing much on the leopard menace at Beeregowdanahundi, Kadakola and surrounding areas. The villagers claimed that there were at least three leopards on the prowl in  the villages. 

There is a large vacant space that belongs to Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) and the authorities have not bothered to clean the space. The thick bushes grown in this space has become a place for leopards to take shelter, the villagers said. They have demanded the Department to trap all the leopards. 

Deputy Conservator of Forests Dr. K.C. Prashanth Kumar, Range Forest Officer Girish and DRFO Mohan visited the spot this morning.