Kill four goats, spread terror among farming community; Villagers blame forest officers

Srirangapatna: After a brief lull, a couple of leopards are spreading terror in the farmland on the backwaters of Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) Dam and have killed four goats in a single day recently creating panic among the residents and tourists.

The leopards, numbering about three, raided the farmhouse of one Chandrashekar, located next to Venugopalaswamy Temple on the banks of KRS backwaters and killed four goats. People, who heard the bleats of the goats, tried to chase away a leopard that was dragging a goat into a bush.

The group of villagers raised alarm and pelted stones at the feline. The video of the leopard dragging a huge goat into a bushy area and a villager hurling a stone at the leopard has gone viral. Like this goat, the villagers, predominantly farmers who breed and sell livestock, have lost many animals.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, Chandrashekar said that he and a few others, who had spotted the leopards earlier, had urged the Forest Department to place a cage at the spot where they had seen the leopards. But they (Forest Department staff) have placed a cage now after the leopards killed the goats.

Forest officer Puttaswamy said that leopards have been spotted for three to four months and have killed goats, sheep and dogs. Now they have been spotted in Hosa Kannambaadi and Bannangaadi villages and hence a cage has been placed. Eight forest staff, along with the public, have conducted a combing operation also and the leopards will be trapped soon, he added.

Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Limited (CNNL) Assistant Executive Engineer Abu Farooq told SOM that though the leopards were spotted near KRS Dam and its surroundings, there are no restrictions for tourists who come to Brindavan Gardens. Following frequent sightings of leopards in Brindavan Gardens North and South Gates earlier, a tender has been floated to install a chain link fence at a cost of Rs. 1 crore and the works would commence next month (January, 2023), he said and added that there is no need to panic as of now.

It may be recalled that a leopard was first sighted at KRS Dam on Oct. 22 and later, it was spotted a couple of times on the North side of the Dam and even the South entrance. The Dam was declared out of bounds for tourists on Nov. 6. Continuously, the Dam and the Brindavan Garden was closed for 29 days and was reopened on the evening of Nov. 30.