Tirumala: One more leopard was caught at Tirumala Footway on Thursday, officials said.
This is the third leopard to be caught in 50 days in Tirupathi and the second one from Tirumala after a six-year-old girl named Lakshitha was killed in a leopard-attack">leopard attack last week.
Forest officials say that three leopards are moving about in the Tirumala footway. Cages are set up in three areas to trap the remaining leopard. Cages are set up at Mokali Mettu (steps) at Lakshminarasimhaswamy Temple on the 35th turn of the Ghat road.
In the span of four days, forest officials caught two leopards, moved them to Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park (SV Zoo Park), and identified the leopard that attacked a girl child and killed her two days ago in Tirumala.
Forest official Satish Reddy said that “We found two leopards wandering within five hundred metres of the radius near Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple.”
“On the 14th of this month, the trapped leopard was moved to SV Zoo Park. Trap cameras were set up for another leopard. At two o'clock in the morning, another leopard got trapped in the cage. We are moving it to the SV Zoo,” he added.
According to the forest official, a sample from the leopard’s stomach will be collected and sent to the lab to ascertain whether or not the captured leopard was involved in the killing of the six-year-old girl Lakshitha last week.
“Let's find out whether human flesh is present in the leopard's stomach or not. A sample will be collected and sent to the lab to trace the accused leopard,” forest offical Satish Reddy said.
“After that, we will make a decision about whether to keep it in the zoo or in the forest, according to the decision of the forest officials. We have set up around 320 traffic cameras for tracking leopards. Trap cameras have also been set up on the Srivari Mettu path,” he said.
Earlier, one leopard was caught by forest officials on Sunday night. While speaking to ANI Dharma Reddy, Executive Officer, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, said, "The leopard was caught by forest officials. We will take necessary measures to protect devotees from attack by the beasts." Meanwhile, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has decided to allow pilgrims with children, aged below 15 years, to trek on both pedestrian routes only between 5 am and 2 pm.