Leopard spotted in TN's Ariyalur district

TRICHY: A leopard was spotted in Sendurai town in Ariyalur district of Tamil Nadu on Thursday night. Forest department officials said the leopard was comparatively bigger than the one spotted in Mayiladuthurai district on April 2.

On Thursday night, the leopard was spotted in Ponparappi village in Ariyalur district by three villagers.

Later, the animal was caught on a CCTV camera at the Sendurai Government Hospital, situated about eight km away from Ponparappi. It was seen jumping over a fence near the residential quarters of the hospital around 11pm.

“We used a thermal imaging drone and searched in the four-km radius of the hospital. We could not spot the leopard. The public have been sensitised not to venture alone to remote areas. They have been told to move in groups and avoid abandoned buildings,” district forest officer K Elangovan told TOI.

Forest department officials said they had not received any report of domestic animals being killed by the leopard. The big cat could be feeding on animals like wild boars and spotted deer in the forest areas, they said.

“We are unable to spot pug marks due to dry conditions of land,” Elangovan added.

Around 50 personnel from various units of the forest department including from Cuddalore, Thanjavur, and Perambalur besides a special team from Pollachi are camping in Ariyalur to track the big cat. Cameras have been installed in 24 locations to capture the images of the leopard.