Leopard that killed woman, child in Tamil Nadu captured

Ooty (TN), Jan 7 (PTI) A leopard that mauled a woman and a child to death was tranquilised on Sunday by Forest department personnel who plan to relocate it inside dense forest, officials said.

Chief Minister M K Stalin conveyed his condolences to the families of a 29-year old woman and a three-and-a-half-year-old girl child who died in separate leopard attacks on December 29, 2023 and January 6 respectively.

Stalin announced a solatium of Rs 10 lakh each for the two families of Elamanna village in the Nilgiris district. The child belonged to a family of migrant workers from Jharkhand.

As soon as the elusive leopard was spotted at Elamanna village, Forest department personnel used tranquiliser darts to immobilise the animal and took it away in a cage to a shelter.

The four-year old male leopard lost consciousness only after the second shot. The first time it was hit by a tranquiliser dart, it escaped and went into hiding. Using camera fitted drones, the forest officials located the animal and used a second dart to immobilise and capture it.

After considering all relevant factors, the captured leopard will be released into a dense forest area suitable for it in the Nilgiris district, officials said. PTI