Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapur

Kundapur, Apr 26: A female leopard that had been causing panic in the region for the past six months was finally trapped in a cage at Yadahaklu in Ullur-74 village on April 24 night.

Residents of Yadahaklu had been living in fear as two to three leopards were frequently spotted roaming the area at night. Local resident Ratnakar Naik had lost several chickens and pet dogs to the predators. Following his request, the forest department had placed a cage near the poultry coop in his courtyard six months ago. The leopard finally walked into the trap on Friday night, after which forest officials safely relocated it to the forest.

The operation was conducted by Shankaranarayana deputy range forest officer Manjunath, forest guards Zahir Abbas, Krishnamurthy, and Ravi, along with Ullur village forest committee member Chitte Rajagopal Hegde, Ratnakar Naik, Jayaram Naik, Rajesh Hebbar, and Nagendra Achar.

While the capture has provided some relief, villagers expressed dissatisfaction with the forest department's handling of the issue. They alleged that the leopard menace in Ullur-74 village has crossed limits, with frequent losses of cattle, dogs, and poultry. Residents claimed that the department only places cages intermittently and often releases the captured leopards in neighboring villages, allowing them to return to human settlements and continue the cycle of attacks.