Same feline was captured in CCTV cameras, confirms Forest Department

Srirangapatna: After spending sleepless nights and conducting day-long operations in and around the famed Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) Dam and the Brindavan Gardens for over three months, the Forest Department has finally been able to successfully trap the leopard that had triggered terror in the area that led to the closure of the Dam for over a month.

 The cage was permanently placed at the North Bank of the Dam and the feline fell into the trap either at midnight or early this morning. During his regular morning walk at 6 am, Inspector Santhosh of Karnataka Industrial Security Force (KISF) that guards the Dam noticed the door of the cage closed. When he went near the small grilled opening of the cage, he heard a growling sound from inside.

 Santhosh immediately alerted the Forest Department and a team led by the Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Shankaregowda visited the spot and confirmed that it is the same leopard that was roaming around the North Gate and South Gate of the Dam, creating panic. The leopard, along with its trapped cage was loaded onto a truck and shifted from KRS.

“Due to the tourist importance of the place, the Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Limited (CNNL) had requested us for the permanent placing of a cage and constant surveillance. The leopard is about five years old and its gender has to be determined. It is an adult leopard and has injuries all over its face. We have informed the higher officers and based on their directive, we will release it either in Bandipur or Nagarahole Tiger Reserves or at Male Mahadeshwara Hills or the Biligiri Ranganatha Swamy Tiger Reserve,” he said.

The leopard will be examined by a veterinarian before it is released into the wild and a microchip will be implanted under its skin to track its movements. It is the same feline that was spotted in CCTV footage in the past, he confirmed.

 “Normally from September to December, we find extensive movement of the leopards in this belt as till then they would have taken shelter in sugarcane fields during the mating and breeding season. When the cane is harvested by farmers, naturally the cover is lost and leopards move away and at times they enter human habitats,” Shankaregowda said.

 On the proposal of the CNNL to install a 15-20 ft chain-link fence to prevent the entry of the leopards into the KRS Dam premises in the future, the ACF said that a chain-link fence will be an effective measure to prevent feline entry. “When a particular route of an animal has obstacles, it has been observed that the animal takes a different route normally,” he added.