Coimbatore : Even as activists were boasting upon the presence of a leopardess with cubs very close to human settlements in Madukkarai Range, foresters have set up a cage to capture the animals as they have indulged in frequent hunting outside the reserve.
Coimbatore : Even as activists were boasting upon the presence of a leopardess with cubs very close to human settlements in Madukkarai Range, the foresters have set up a cage to capture the animals, as they have indulged in frequent hunting outside the reserve.
Over a year, the leopardess along with her two cubs has been reportedly roaming in the Range near the Palakkad Main Road. They have been preying upon goats and dogs in the vicinity. Even as it’s movements were being monitored by foresters, no attempts were made to capture it, as the cubs were too young and it posed no threat.
However, according to sources, the cubs have grown up and are soon to hunt on their own. With the mother leading them outside the reserve often, there were chances that they too could indulge in hunting dogs and goats. The trio even had preyed upon wild boars in the area.
Though the leopardess is a common sight in Madukkarai, the animals venturing out often has created fear among locals who have requested the officials to translocate them to a safer location.
One of the three leopards, possibly the mother, had recently jumped a compound wall of a house and hunted a dog.
In an attempt to put an end to the fear, a cage has been set up near Gandhinagar, close to the same house.
If caught, the animal could be released in Sirumugai reserve, as done in the past. This is the fourth leopard cage set up in Madukkarai in the last one year.